If you were a network, would you rather get a 40+ rating or 7 nights of 15 rating?

The Superbowl ratings would be a lot lower if it were a 7 game series. To me, it's like baseball. Each game isn't much during the regular season, but when you add 165 games worth, then the revenue is enough to pay those players enormous sums of money.

Of course the NBA has higher ratings when exciting players and big market teams make it there. But they are playing with fire if they manipulate the process to make that happen. The best thing they can do for themselves is appear transparent and hype the teams that are most likely to make it to the end. That would be the Spurs/Mavs and... Pistons/Heat/ Magic...?

The worst thing they can do is change the rules of the game and the way it's called to get their already hyped players to the dance. That is how conspiracy theories linger.

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"I’ll just say this: We’re not talking to teams about their second- or third-best players." Joe Dumars talking about his plan to get other teams' 4th best players.