NBA Finals

8,476 Views | 76 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by 01Bear
BearForce2
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Watching hair grow on my dog is more exciting. Awful basketball, worst finals ever. The Warriors need to get back in this thing.

The difference between a right wing conspiracy and the truth is about 20 months.
socaltownie
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helltopay1 said:

Steve Kerr did say that he found the debate 'sad." What I find sad are athletes and coaches commenting about politics and political figures. I can assure anyone , that unless you follow politics 8 hours a day for decades, what you know and $2.95 won't buy a cup of coffee at the local diner. What if Doctors, Dentists, Chefs, industrial engineers , Mathematicians, Astrologers, Anthropologists, psychiatrists, Snake handlers, Carnival Barkers, professional Wrestlers were interviewed 3-4 times a week and asked to give their "expert" opinion on the days' political events??Silly, right???Indeed-- coaches like Steve Kerr apologize for and remain silent about the daily deprivations of Communist China, and, yet, feels obliged to tell anyone who will listen how he feels about the current President. Chances are he doesn';t know how many branches of gov't weoh boy, have or what their functions are:but, oh boy, he sure knows everything about our President. Most people just cannot/will not stay in their lanes. Steve Kerr knows basketball. The end. He probably doesn't know the price of milk.
Blame the media model. You gotta get content. There is limited interest in having a detailed discussion on the ways to execute a pick and roll. Get a guy to comment on civil unrest and you got fodder for 48 hours of Cable sports news and commentary. Rinse and repeat.

As Pogo said long ago, we have met the enemy and he is us.
Chapman_is_Gone
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I sure hope the Heat players are better than the players the Lakers bought.

The NBA sucks.
helltopay1
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Dear Socal: Hadn't thought of that--thanks!!
helltopay1
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chapman: Indeed..
Playing the finals now is like having a summer barbecue in the middle of Winter. Also, the BLM stickers, as well as having third-string point guards expound on the political situation in the Congo is really off-putting to a lot of fans. Attendance is way down--so is NFL attendance.
stu
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helltopay1 said:

Playing the finals now is like having a summer barbecue in the middle of Winter.
One winter I visited New Zealand and had barbecue for Christmas. The whole experience was excellent.
oskidunker
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helltopay1 said:

chapman: Indeed..
Playing the finals now is like having a summer barbecue in the middle of Winter. Also, the BLM stickers, as well as having third-string point guards expound on the political situation in the Congo is really off-putting to a lot of fans. Attendance is way down--so is NFL attendance.
I have no interest.
Go Bears!
75bear
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How are athletes giving their political opinion any different than most posters on this board giving their opinion of athletes?
BeachedBear
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75bear said:

How are athletes giving their political opinion any different than most posters on this board giving their opinion of athletes?
Probably a couple more zeroes on their tax returns.
Civil Bear
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BeachedBear said:

75bear said:

How are athletes giving their political opinion any different than most posters on this board giving their opinion of athletes?
Probably a couple more zeroes on their tax returns.
That, and the public stage thing.
wifeisafurd
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With the lakers in the playoffs, no less the finals, this town would come to a stop during games, the discussion everywhere would be on games, people actually would watch the games, there would be Laker flags all over houses, there would be laker car flags out of car windows, etc. The fact is no one give a crap in LA about the lakers this season. No one cares about NBA basketball. Worst TV ratings for games since many decades and everyone is home watching TV.

Probably a lot of reasons. The infusion of politics, the weird COVID season and players opting out, no fans and the kind of F/U message about fans the NBA players seem to be delivering, the fact that people realize they can exist just fine without professional sports, and perhaps that people have other things on their minds, etc.

If I was Steve Kerr, my narrative would be we miss our fans and want them back next year to see exciting basketball and a great product. Say Curry and excitement together a few hundred times. It wouldn't be half or you have political views that suck.

HoopDreams
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I think people figured out life goes on without sports

I think this year has set the sports world back years, and with changing tastes that have already reduced interest in sports, will take a long time to recover if ever
BeachedBear
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HoopDreams said:

I think people figured out life goes on without sports

I think this year has set the sports world back years, and with changing tastes that have already reduced interest in sports, will take a long time to recover if ever
This!

Couldn't agree more HD. Personally, I'm using this time to address one of my worst addictions (sports) and bring it back into balance. Unfortunately, some of my other addictions may be getting more 'me' time.
NVBear78
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I think the NBA is sooooo over the top in Politically Motivated Uniforms, Floor wording and constant preaching from coaches and LeBron that it is a huge turn off.

WIF's comment that few people even in LA care is most telling.
wifeisafurd
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HoopDreams said:

I think people figured out life goes on without sports

I think this year has set the sports world back years, and with changing tastes that have already reduced interest in sports, will take a long time to recover if ever
This surely is factor. Our behavior is changing.

What is weird is that people our discussing golf and not the Lakers. I was on a conference call with people from different areas in SoCal and we discussed the Masters, not the NBA finals. I went to our club for a socially spaced meal and they had the PGA, LPGA and Korn Ferry on different TVs, and oh yes, one TV was the Lakers playoff game. No one was watching. Freaking unbelievable. Sure, if this was the East Bay and Collin was in contention, but this is LA. Lakers' territory. I was with around a million people watching Chick, Kobe and Shack in a parade not that horribly long ago. Now when I bring up the Lakers, most people don't even know they are in the finals. Just plan weird.
HoopDreams
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wifeisafurd said:

HoopDreams said:

I think people figured out life goes on without sports

I think this year has set the sports world back years, and with changing tastes that have already reduced interest in sports, will take a long time to recover if ever
This surely is factor. Our behavior is changing.

What is weird is that people our discussing golf and not the Lakers. I was on a conference call with people from different areas in SoCal and we discussed the Masters, not the NBA finals. I went to our club for a socially spaced meal and they had the PGA, LPGA and Korn Ferry on different TVs, and oh yes, one TV was the Lakers playoff game. No one was watching. Freaking unbelievable. Sure, if this was the East Bay and Collin was in contention, but this is LA. Lakers' territory. I was with around a million people watching Chick, Kobe and Shack in a parade not that horribly long ago. Now when I bring up the Lakers, most people don't even know they are in the finals. Just plan weird.


This year is different but anytime you have a disruption this big things will change

My concern is there will be a negative impact to cal sports that will put even more strain on the attendance and finances to pile on top of the NIL and other issues

Your story about the Lakers fans is a pretty incredible symptom of this, especially considering how the lakers have missed the Finals for years
oskidunker
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Tired of the Lebron show.
Go Bears!
joe amos yaks
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stu said:

helltopay1 said:

Playing the finals now is like having a summer barbecue in the middle of Winter.
One winter I visited New Zealand and had barbecue for Christmas. The whole experience was excellent.
Similar NZ experience decades ago (North Island) in January. Excellent barbie -- lamb, abalone, scallops, beef steak, sausages, grilled vege' and the big salad with cold beer and wine.
Bearprof
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Boy I disagree with a lot of things said in this thread. I've found the playoffs to be quite entertaining for one thing. While I dislike LeBron and the Lakers, and did not enjoy the first two finals games, the Heat made it interesting with their win last night. And to suggest that Steve Kerr knows less about things that impact people's lives than Donald Trump is as big a howler as I've heard anywhere. SMH
calumnus
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Bearprof said:

Boy I disagree with a lot of things said in this thread. I've found the playoffs to be quite entertaining for one thing. While I dislike LeBron and the Lakers, and did not enjoy the first two finals games, the Heat made it interesting with their win last night. And to suggest that Steve Kerr knows less about things that impact people's lives than Donald Trump is as big a howler as I've heard anywhere. SMH


I am a Laker fan but agree on the rest.
01Bear
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WIAF, I think you need to expand your circles a bit beyond the country club set. If you talked to folks who happen not to be rich white country club guys, you might realize that many less affluent BIPOC LA denizens still follow the Lakers and care about the NBA Finals. Does that mean the ratings will be the same as in the pre-COVID era, probably not.

Sure Lakers fans may not be as flamboyant in decorating their cars or homes this year, but that's also due in great part to the restrictions put in place thanks to the pandemic. Not being able to attend games in person will put a damper on enthusiasm. Having the team play all of its games in so far removed from its home town likely did the same. Scheduling the NBA Finals in October also likely killed ratings thanks to competition from the MLB playoffs and the start of the NFL season.

But none of this means that Lakers fans don't care about the team or the Finals, let alone that they're put off by some nebulous "F/U to the fans." Incidentally, if you meant the messages in support of Black Lives matter and other messages affirming equality and demanding justice were the "F/U to the fans," you need to realize that how your social circle reacted to these messages is not representative of how less affluent BIPOC fans reacted. If anything, the rest of us applauded the NBA for understanding that the players (most of whom are BIPOC) aren't just there to shuck and jive for our entertainment.

Rather, we acknowledge they, their friends, and their families have to put up with injustices and inequities due to their race. We recognize their humanity. We listen to them as they share the racial injustices they and their communities have faced. We hurt for them. We demand reform with them. We thank them for using their platforms to speak up for those who have had their voices silenced or ignored.

But sure, if you want to believe that the country club elite are the only fans who matter, feel free to do so.
helltopay1
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Fan interest in the NBA and NFL has dropped significantly. Looks like many fans are turned off by the political posturing of NBA and NFL players. Their attitude seems to be just play the damn game and let politicians handle the politics. fans are much smarter than players and coaches give them credit for.
BeachedBear
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helltopay1 said:

Fan interest in the NBA and NFL has dropped significantly. Looks like many fans are turned off by the political posturing of NBA and NFL players. Their attitude seems to be just play the damn game and let politicians handle the politics. fans are much smarter than players and coaches give them credit for.
bwah hah hah hah
wifeisafurd
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someone else posted this on the insider board

https://www.newsweek.com/nba-finals-ratings-tank-commissioner-says-league-will-withdraw-black-lives-matter-jerseys-1537280
SBGold
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It's false as to the NFL, HTP wrong AF
BearForce2
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BeachedBear said:

helltopay1 said:

Fan interest in the NBA and NFL has dropped significantly. Looks like many fans are turned off by the political posturing of NBA and NFL players. Their attitude seems to be just play the damn game and let politicians handle the politics. fans are much smarter than players and coaches give them credit for.
bwah hah hah hah
On the other hand, bwah hah hah ha. Therefore, bwah hah hah bwah.
The difference between a right wing conspiracy and the truth is about 20 months.
Bearprof
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Very good game last night. Miami is making this series interestingnow 3-2- despite a superb game by James, who hit a lot of threes in addition to his usual excellent play. Davis is banged up, which could help Miami in the coming game(s). MIami is exciting because they don't give up, and their young players (Robinson last night, Herro on previous nights) keep on executing even under tremendous pressure. Butler has been outstanding. As I said before, the basketball In the bubble is exciting. What's not to like?
BearForce2
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This Lakers team is more talented than the Cleveland teams Lebron played for and yet they lost twice to a young and scrappy Miami team with no superstars except for Jimmy Butler on a good day. Erik Spoelstra is a genius.
The difference between a right wing conspiracy and the truth is about 20 months.
oskidunker
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Ill watch if it goes to 7. Can only watch so much of the bulging muscles and tattoos.
Go Bears!
stu
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oskidunker said:

Ill watch if it goes to 7. Can only watch so much of the bulging muscles and tattoos.
They could over-inflate and tattoo the ball for you.
south bender
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Agreed.

100%!

Best basketball on the planet.
dimitrig
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I didn't watch any sports up until the NBA quarterfinals, but I have to admit these Finals are entertaining. The complete and total lack of defense makes the style of play look like the 1980s, but the long outlet passes and mid-range jumpers - especially by Butler, who is sort of an antithesis to most modern NBA players in that he doesn't live on the 3ball (counter example: AD taking deep 3's) - reminds me of years past.

As someone who is a lifelong Lakers fan who lives in SoCal , these Finals don't feel real. We can't go to the games. We can't go to a bar or restaurant to watch them together with other fans.They aren't even hosted in our city. It's hard to get excited by them and there isn't much sense of community or belonging as a result of our inability to celebrate together. If the Lakers win, I think this title will be tainted. It's more like an extended Summer League. That said, the games are entertaining and a welcome respite from reality.

COVID-19 has a lot more to do with any ratings failures or perceived disinterest than the League's political commentary. These are strange times right now. Sports are still just an afterthought. I find it odd that anyone would be offended that a League that is composed of famous black milionaires would want to stand up for the rights of the citizens in the communities many of them grew up in. In my mind it's about time! That anyone would take issue with that is mind bottling (cite: "Blades of Glory").

In a typical year both the Lakers and Dodgers would be HUGE in LA, but this is not a typical year. Better to win than not, though.



Bearprof
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Surprised by your statement that there is a lack of defense. Defense is very restricted now by the rules, but within the rules I think that defense has been important in these finals.
HoopDreams
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Agree

During season, defense is sometimes suspect, but not during playoffs


Bearprof said:

Surprised by your statement that there is a lack of defense. Defense is very restricted now by the rules, but within the rules I think that defense has been important in these finals.
dimitrig
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When the winning team has been scoring over 110 points per game except in one instance there's not a lot of defense being played.

Yes, scoring overall is higher than it used to be (the Clippers scored 154 points in a playoff game?!) but part of that is the lack of defense. Lots of guys are going for blocks or reaching in for steals (which creates the exciting fast breaks when it works) instead of defending with their feet and body. Rather than running out on shooters, guys are more often allowing the open shot and releasing down the court for the fast break to get those points back.

I read an article on 538.com (linked here) below which speculates that after the long layoff players are not in the playoff shape they would have been. That would be most visible on the defensive end.

Why have NBA offenses been so good in the bubble

Don't get me wrong, the fast pace is entertaining to watch, but defense is an afterthought.




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