LeBron and the Average Fan

Fans would have loved to see the three-headed monster that is San Antonio face against the veteran team from Detroit in the NBA Finals. Everyone except people around the world not located near the Alamo or 8-Mile, television executives, my mom and David Stern.

The NBA and their partners would never root for a specific team, we all know that. So we all know that Game 5 was like Christmas morning, the lighting of the Shamash during the Festival of Light and the last day of Ramadan rolled into one.

The ascension of LeBron and The King’s Chosen Few means sports fans like myself may actually tune in, which is the only way to judge the importance of your event nowadays.

Almost to the day two years ago, June 15 to be precise, ABC drew just 7.2% of U.S. TV households to watch the Pistons win Game 3 from the Spurs. It was down 32 percent from the previous year, when there was actually a cavalcade of stars with the final year of the Lakers’ old-man bandwagon in pursuit of a title.

In 1981, the NBA Finals on an evening tape-delay still drew a 6.7. For those non-communication majors in the crowd, that means the game was already decided when it was broadcasted nationally.

From that point on, the numbers never slipped lower than a 10, until the record low in 2003, a 6.5 when your same boring Spurs faced the hometown New Jersey Nets.

I’m sure our mutual friend Scott had his eyes glued to the screen, but just like when we were all at The Castle on the Hill, I don’t watch the Nets.

In fact, I never really watched the NBA, despite claiming to know a thing or three about it. The regular season lasts forever and the playoffs seem to follow suit.

A Georgetown follower for over 20 years, I followed Alonzo Mourning to Charlotte, then followed Allen Iverson to Philadelphia. But all that meant was I would watch Sportscenter with a vested interest when their highlights came on.

In 2000, I had a vested interest in the NBA playoffs living in Portland, Oregon. As the Blazers made a deep run and had the Lakers on the ropes, me and my roommate Dru made plans to sleep outside the Rose Garden ticket gates, less than a couple of miles from our apartment, for Finals tickets.

Taken straight from Wikipedia: The Blazers were leading in Game 7 in Los Angeles, before the Lakers came back and won the series in a 4th-quarter rally. That’s the rally that’s ended with Kobe throwing the oop to Shaq, who runs back down court with his giant mouth in an O.

Trust me, if you’ve seen basketball, you’ve seen this and that essentially ended my love affair with the league. That and I moved back east.

Even in my current Central Time Zone, I’ve got little desire to stay up until midnight to watch any game, yet alone one that will allow the final 2 minutes on the clock last 20 in real time.

So with all that being said, I’m wondering why ABC would decide to start every game at 9 p.m. including Games 2 and 5, which would be on Sundays.

You want to know the reason why football is truly king in this age of video-everything. Yes, it helps to have a short season meaning every game matters even more, but it’s the fact that every game IS PLAYED DURING A REASONABLE TIME.

Same thing can be said about NASCAR, golf and to a much lesser extent, baseball. There’s something to be said for watching something, then still having your entire evening ahead of you.

I’m willing to eat my weight in cheese if Bud grew a pair and told Fox, “Hey, I would like some of my younger fans to be able to watch a World Series game before they have to go to sleep…”

But that’s another battle for another day.

So with all of this going against the NBA: the horrible timing of games and sagging ratings with viewers choosing to flip between 150 channels, their TiVo or DVR, watch online updates as they blog and so forth, why am I smiling?

Because LeBron James is that good.

Rarely does anyone with the amount of hype live up to the billing. I mean, the guy was projected as a number one pick as a high school junior. How many of us were ready for their current adult profession while still trying to reach third base with a girl?

Huh, what? I meant get into a three-way. Yeah, that’s the ticket. A three-way with…an upperclassman and her sister, yeah, that’s right. That’s the ticket.

The point is I’ll join the masses, like the guy at the gas station where I get my milk for $2.99 a gallon, and watch the Finals. To be witness to what, I don’t know, but I’m sure my wife still won’t care, and that’s the truth.

The truth is I've been waiting a long time for this — a blog with friends that might actually get read. No, to be able to relive my childhood with the people I shared it with. With the different personalities present, this experience should be an interesting one and I for one can't wait.

Believe Da Hype

It’s nice to finally be able to believe in something, even if it is a 22 year old, man-child from Akron. King James has restored my faith. So often we are wooed by the fantasy of hype. Rare is the time when that hype manifests itself in fulfillment. LeBron James is that fulfillment.

More than anything else, LeBron represents hope. Not just the typical hope of the American Dream that says anyone can become successful with the right mix of talent and hard work, but the hope that there is truth behind all the hype. We are bombarded daily with images and sound trumpeting the next big thing: The trial of the century, #1 vs. #2, the season’s funniest new comedy, the pound for pound best fighter, its all bullshit. How many times do you shut off your television after a fight and swear you will never buy another one? How often does a rivalry game live up to the billing? But we all come back for more. We come back because of hope that one day a championship fight, a game seven, a conference final will actually live up to the hype and deliver. When that happens, it reminds us of why we are sports fans, because even with all the cheating it is still the purest form of drama.

LeBron is refreshing in his uniqueness. He has been thrust into the spotlight since he reached puberty and has done nothing but distinguish himself. His ability to thrive without a major stumble is remarkable. He had the world given to him on a platter at age 18; far before Michael and Tiger and look what he has done under the pressure. He isn’t perfect, just ask Paul Silas or Larry Brown but he has grown with every experience and come out better on the other side. How many of us can say that without the bright lights and big expectations as well as the embarrassment of riches. I’m certain we would all trade places with LeBron, just for the security of knowing your children’s children are set for life, but how many of us would remain motivated with that knowledge?

I want to express my excitement at being part of this venture. I have known Dan, Kris and Marty for as long as my memory reaches and feel truly fortunate to share writing space with each of them. I appreciate your indulgence and look forward to the conversations that follow.

By way of prediction: I cannot see how the Spurs can lose the series. I will tune in when available but don’t really find it to be must see games unless the Cavs strike early in the series and go up 2-1 or the series gets to 2-2. The most disappointing aspect is the ridiculous 2-3-2 format of the Finals. It makes no sense for there to be a 2-2-1-1-1 format for every round except the most important round. It serves to penalize the team with the three straight home games, because at that level it is nearly impossible to win all three and without that you have to win two on the road which is also difficult. There is no legitimate reason to continue with the 2-3-2, they take enough days off that travel shouldn’t be an issue. Lastly, some of my favorite memories of my blogmates stem from weekend afternoons on Sherman Ave during the early 90s runs of the Knicks. We are lucky to have grown up then because now we wouldn’t have Saturday and Sunday afternoon games to hang out and watch and be interrupted by OJ, we would be stuck with games starting at 9:30 on a Sunday night. The NBA should be ashamed.