It’s such a super entertaining series to watch as a neutral fan. 

Despite all the stupid circus shit surrounding it, I know a shit load of regular people in the NYC metro area that could give two fucks about basketball actually being invested in the game and even the players.

It’s an up and coming superstar, and one of the biggest market, then you have that big market having a team that bulldozed a conference in a way not seen since 2017. On the other side of the Association, you have the young unicorn superstar beating the defending champion and probably the best team in the league in a 7 game series. Both teams seem like they are the chosen ones to win it all.

NYC bars are packed. Not sure how the estimate the numbers but it’s huge in NY. 

People want to watch Wemby

For sure. Like last year, I barely remembered the finals happening until the Haliburton injury.

A bunch of people I know that don’t even care for basketball are tuned in too I imagine it’s

1. Generational player in Wemby
   
2. NYC chaos lol
   
3. Trump attending the game

I honestly love it lol that’s why I also think the NBA gonna make sure this goes at least 6 games

It helps that all games have been super close in the 4th quarter. Right now the point differential is knicks +7 I think. So it’s really a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ series if we can win game 4

Because this is how the NBA has always marketed itself: Its always a superstar-storyline league first, actual Baskebtall league second.

The NBA has always had the biggest ratings, not when or because the 2 best teams played, but when 2 teams with the biggest mainstream stars and storylines played. The hardcore NBA fans will watch anyways. But what you need are the casuals, the non NBA fans. And the NBA has always had success in catching them, because they always had mainstream superstars since the 80s that garnered the interest of mainstream viewers. Magic-Bird, MJ, Shaq-Kobe, Lakers, LeBron, then the superteam era, then the Warriors. But this wasnt the case for the last 5-6 years. The casuals dont care about Shai or Jokic. Those aren’t the names and storylines that draw casual viewers in front of the TV.

But Wemby and the Knicks does.

And this is why Wemby is a godsent for the league because the NBA has always had these marketable, charismatic mainstream US-american stars since the 80s. But now? The last ones of that kind are closing in on 40. There was nobody in the league that could’ve carried this legacy as teh face of the league after LeBron KD etc. retire. Mainstream viewers dont care about Ant or Tatum or Brown. And they also dont care about European stars. So the NBA was looking at very difficult time of really no mainstream superstars or big storylines that could draw the mainstream audience. Until now an alien came up. And this is why he is so hyped in media (rightfully so) because they are trying to market him as this absolute mainstream superstar because they need him to be the face after leBron etc. cause there is no one else of that caliber that can draw a mainsstream audience

I think it’s a combo of NYC being huge, the Knicks (the players) being likable, and Wemby being so notable.

It’s like if Steph curry was playing for LA against a player that might end up as the goat… sounds familiar.

It’s because it’s the Knicks and the media cares more because of that. Especially since sports media is so heavily located in the NY area.

I don’t watch as much national sports talk as I used to but I’m noticing A LOT more coverage about the Finals this year than in the past several years. ESPN is usually leading off their shows with super early NFL hot takes around the Finals, but not this year.

I don’t think it’s necessarily bigger to the rest of the country. It’s just the media focusing on it + NY being a massive market that makes it feel like a bigger deal.

Like Stephen A would normally be shitting on the Cowboys off-season moves at this point, not acting like he’s a super diehard Knicks fans even during the bad times.

Edit: Although I do think part of the hype from the rest of the country is Wemby focused. If they tie the series tomorrow and he has a massive game the conversation goes back to his legacy being built.

I don’t even watch basketball and I’m zoned in on this series. I’m also pissed I have missed years of watching basketball before this.

I mean.

First championship in a loooong time for my

Or.

The start of a new empire with wemby

It involves one of the most popular teams in the Knicks and a young Spurs team with dynasty potential led by an enigma in Wemby. It’s incredibly compelling.

It’s the Knicks, and also watching the possible emergence of the next face of the NBA in Wemby. Personally, I love watching a team with a core of three 20 year olds show up on the biggest basketball stage and winning

I agree. Last time I tuned into every game in the Final was 2020. 2021-2025 I just watched highlights, don’t know why, but I wasn’t too invested for some reason.

It’s both – the Knicks being a big market AND them assembling a championship team the old-fashioned way with likeable stars.

The basketball has also been pretty fantastic 

I mean as a totally neutral fan I’m watching cause it’s fun to see these two teams in the finals. Games are close. No blowouts so far. It’s pretty good basketball. Which isn’t something I can say about most finals in the last 20 years.

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Makes me happy as a Spurs fan after decades of being told the team was boring and low ratings thrown in our faces.

also wemby

case in point me, im only watching cause of him

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Facts

I would watch. Just saying.

Tilting the scales here

Nice thing is well never know final ratings for the Timberwolves.

Last years finals was a great series lmao what?

Same. A Thunder-Cavs finals would’ve sent the league into debt from low viewership numbers

The fact that there were almost no whistles in the first quarter of game 1 was just amazing after enduring those stretches of just foul after foul against the Thunder was so refreshing.

Edit: Reminded me of when you see welterweights really fight after watching a series of Mayweather hugging matches.

Last year and 2021 were just as good if not better. Gameplay last year was actually super high

2016 wasn’t that entertaining as a series. Great moments and exciting game 7 absolutely

Through three games this series has been way more down to the wire

best? last year was better currently

And the guy who is the next face of the league plus it actually feels like the finals

And a big market state, I mean Texas has 3 teams in it lol

Spurs/ Thunder were two small markets and it broke all kinds of records

That’s literally why they had high viewership. Casuals will watch if there are big names in the finals

Lebron is the biggest name in the NBA still even if its trending down

Which is why it’s interesting that the NBA decided to do away with dynasties by implementing the second apron. I get the goal behind it, but it’s clear that casual and hardcore NBA fans love legacies. I felt that Adam Silver tried too hard to emulate the NFL.

Now that we received the viewership numbers, we have deemed wembys actions as necessary for the health of the game, and will be allowing him one flagrant foul a game, as long as it’s either a people’s elbow or a foul on Big body brunson.

ABC is over the air, they literally send out HD streams for free over the airwavea

yeah that’s why the Knicks swept the previous two rounds

The entire first quarter was spurs guards getting hacked on drives with no call. Miss me with this loser talk 

That’s why they let you win both away games? They are so CLEVER in their wrongdoings.

A small set of fans is not representative of the entire fan base.

Also flair up pussy

You are what you eat.

Go take a walk, enjoy the weather.