Would a Celtics vs Lakers Final bring the fans back?

[MrPerfect1]

Lakers-Celtics finals would be a major ratings boost.

Clippers-Milwaukee? Who is going to watch that? Just family.

I question the benefit the Celtics would bring to ratings. The Celtics have 0 exciting players and 0 superstars. They are a collection of nice/solid players, similar to MIA (except Kemba is a lesser star than Butler). Yes, they have a historic past but how often do you see people in other places wearing Celtics gear? When I lived in BOS I saw some stuff obviously, but I never saw anything Celtics when living in either STL or MIL. The Celtics are basically the STL Cardinals of the NBA.

PHI would be a MUCH, MUCH bigger National draw than BOS

This simply isnt true. The celtics have one of the top followings in sports. I live in ohio and its likelier to find people in celtics green than cavs apparel. I've been to a third of the NBA arenas and except for a huge exception it's a see of green in the crowd. I was just I'm orlando and there was an audible let's go Celtics chant breaking out lol

The Bucks have out drawn the Celtics in terms of ratings for National Games this year. It seems MIL has a bigger Nationsl TV following currently than BOS

[Jables]

Who cares, I hope the ratings fall in a hole so ESPN loses money. Lakers are first in the West to begin with and the Celtics are third, maybe they don't make as much of a difference to the NBA ratings as much as people say they do? If they could carry the ratings, they would be.

[ajones9219]

I question the benefit the Celtics would bring to ratings. The Celtics have 0 exciting players and 0 superstars. They are a collection of nice/solid players, similar to MIA (except Kemba is a lesser star than Butler). Yes, they have a historic past but how often do you see people in other places wearing Celtics gear? When I lived in BOS I saw some stuff obviously, but I never saw anything Celtics when living in either STL or MIL. The Celtics are basically the STL Cardinals of the NBA.

PHI would be a MUCH, MUCH bigger National draw than BOS

This simply isnt true. The celtics have one of the top followings in sports. I live in ohio and its likelier to find people in celtics green than cavs apparel. I've been to a third of the NBA arenas and except for a huge exception it's a see of green in the crowd. I was just I'm orlando and there was an audible let's go Celtics chant breaking out lol

The Bucks have out drawn the Celtics in terms of ratings for National Games this year. It seems MIL has a bigger Nationsl TV following currently than BOS

The celtics have also played a large chunk of national games with multiple starters sitting. Regardless, regular season is one thing but a celtics lakers finals would draw the highest finals ratings imo. I think far more casuals would come out to watch that, especially after the passing of kobe

[NPZ]

The ratings have SUCKED this season

Lakers Celtics is what all the non-Laker/Celtic fans WANT and NEED! They're all clamoring for the history and the storylines and the romance. No one wants no Clippers - Bucks. Snoozefest.

Raps fans and Bucks fans even want Celtics - Lakers.

Agree it would be beautiful. All that history and Lebron vs. the Celtics is a huge story too. Passionate TD Garden crowd chanting "BEAT LA".

From up above, Kobe would be smiling and fist pumping over Lakers/Celtics.

Really would love it. I know it's not as likely for the Celtics to get there before the endless bashing begins of these fantastic hard working guys in green.

On a non-facetious note, it'd be good for this generation of players to have a series or two to add to the history. Course, I wanna win every time and vice versa, but you understand. Espec for Brawn who joined up partly to be on a historical franchise. He gives off the feelin that he merely slummed it on the Cavs even though he finally got them over the top. What's the point of joining the Lakers if he never plays Boston in The Finals? Only Rondo knows what the last'n was like and of course...in 2010, Rage On was on the you-know-who's. NBA fans everywhere else would groan, but LAL/BOS is never a bad outcome. The NBA could always do much worse. It's a far cry from SA/NJ for example. It won't exactly be 1984-1985, but it ain't gonna suck either. If neither make it, I'm rooting for the Bucks, especially if they play the Clipps. Can't have the Clipps winning chips. I'd take any East team over the Clips, tbh, even Boston. Boston has won many times. The Clippers winning just once would be a new low for Lakaz. I can't stand Phila and I'd gladly take them over LAC as well.

[Prokorov]

lakers winning in 4 or 5 games doesnt help. bucks with the mvp in giannis taking lebron to 6 or 7 games or maybe upsettin them would be great for the league

Except boston wouldn't lose in 4 or 5 lol

Nobody in Celtics land is saying the Celtics would win, we are underdogs in the east too. But Prok must have forgotten the Celtics blew out the Lakers on MLK day in Boston with their full lineup in tact. Ironically a few days later the Nets with Kyrie got beaten down pretty good by the Lakers in Brooklyn.

regular season = irrelevant

[The_Hater]

Warriors splash bros and wiggins big 3

So we’ve reached the point where Andrew Wiggins is replacing future all of famer Draymond Green in the Warriors big 3? Same Andrew Wiggins who has been lousy for 6 seasons now?

[Quattro]

The ratings have SUCKED this season

Lakers-Celtics finals would be a major ratings boost.

Clippers-Milwaukee? Who is going to watch that? Just family.

Actual fans of basketball maybe?

[Optms]

Why do you care about the ratings?

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 using Tapatalk

Because if the ratings are bad then it is more likely that a lame duck commissioner like Adam Silver would be more likely to tinker with the game. Making it already worse than it already is. That and no one wants to watch a sport you enjoy if no one else is watching or cares about.

[Higgs Boston]

Lakers, Celtics and Bulls are the most popular NBA teams in Europe and in Asia sure is the same. Heck in Spain we even have a celtics con and some social media based only on celtics.

[KGtabake]

Whoever likes basketball will watch no matter who's playing. Those who prefer glamour and celebrities on the side are not fans.
And i couldn't care less for the ratings. They have chosen to broadcast a million warriors/pelicans games and the teams are depleted. Serves them right.
I want the C's to reach the Finals because i'm a fan. If the raps or the bucks get there instead, i'll still watch.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

I wouldn't be against a Lakers/Celtics final, but unless you work for the NBA or a TV station that broadcasts games, you shouldn't really care about the ratings. What does it matter how many people are watching? If you like something, you will watch it and enjoy it. No need to worry if other people are watching the same thing as you.

[Pachinko_]

Why do you care about the ratings?

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Because if the ratings are bad then it is more likely that a lame duck commissioner like Adam Silver would be more likely to tinker with the game. Making it already worse than it already is. That and no one wants to watch a sport you enjoy if no one else is watching or cares about.

"Noone else" is a massive hyperbole. People who love the game and all of us here will always watch it, and we are the only ones that matter. I don't care about a random dude with a remote control trying to make up his mind between basketball and a Brazilian soap opera, I'd rather he go watch something else. And the commissioner will always **** with the game because everyone is greedy, including the players. Even if he hits record ratings he will still **** with it because there's no such thing as enough money.

[Optms]

Whoever likes basketball will watch no matter who's playing. Those who prefer glamour and celebrities on the side are not fans.
And i couldn't care less for the ratings. They have chosen to broadcast a million warriors/pelicans games and the teams are depleted. Serves them right.
I want the C's to reach the Finals because i'm a fan. If the raps or the bucks get there instead, i'll still watch.

That's not the point. You're already a fan. No one is worried you're going to stop watching.

Its the growth of the sport and the would-be fans that will kill the league. What's the incentive for a fringe casual or newcomer to commit? You need the big star or story to get them through the door. Or simply huge popularity of the game which will bring in new fans just so they can see what the excitement is over. Its why a lot of us are here today. Something got us through the door and it sure as hell wasn't a Bucks game. Furthermore, less fans in the long run also means less talent making its way to the league since all players start out as fans. Not caring about ratings is like being in-denial about an obvious impending problem.

[r0drig0lac]

Why do you care about the ratings?

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 using Tapatalk

.

[KGtabake]

Whoever likes basketball will watch no matter who's playing. Those who prefer glamour and celebrities on the side are not fans.
And i couldn't care less for the ratings. They have chosen to broadcast a million warriors/pelicans games and the teams are depleted. Serves them right.
I want the C's to reach the Finals because i'm a fan. If the raps or the bucks get there instead, i'll still watch.

That's not the point. You're already a fan. No one is worried you're going to stop watching.

Its the growth of the sport and the would-be fans that will kill the league. What's the incentive for a fringe casual or newcomer to commit? You need the big star or story to get them through the door. Or simply huge popularity of the game which will bring in new fans just so they can see what the excitement is over. Its why a lot of us are here today. Something got us through the door and it sure as hell wasn't a Bucks game. Furthermore, less fans in the long run also means less talent making its way to the league since all players start out as fans. Not caring about ratings is like being in-denial about an obvious impending problem.

That would have been a valid point if Bucks/sixers/clips etc had no stars.
The best players/stars currently are playing on the Bucks and the Clippers. Giannis and Kawhi.
Kids around the globe pick up a basketball and learn to play because of their games and highlights.
Giannis is second only to LeBron in marketablility these days.
Kawhi is the best player in the world.

[Vlade Divac]

The ratings have SUCKED this season

Lakers Celtics is what all the non-Laker/Celtic fans WANT and NEED! They're all clamoring for the history and the storylines and the romance. No one wants no Clippers - Bucks. Snoozefest.

Raps fans and Bucks fans even want Celtics - Lakers.

No. Raps fans want Raptors vs. Nuggets. And Raps fans don't give flying f... about ratings in US. Our ratings here are good, thank you very much. "Fans" in US get to be reminded on average once a month that there is a NBA team in Canada, between the news what LBJ had for breakfast this morning.

[Celts17Pride]

Celtics/Lakers Finals would bring new viewers that don't watch basketball to watch the Finals just because of the history. It's been that way forever. Real basketball fans are going to watch the Finals regardless of who is in the Finals.

Celtics/Lakers Finals always brings ratings.

[OdomFan]

A Celtics/Lakers matchup would be fun to have again some day, but as a fan I couldn't careless about ratings.

[Hornet Mania]

It's not (just) about the name on the front of the jersey, it's about the quality and context of the product.

Lakers/Celtics didn't put any asses in seats during the 60s/70s when the Finals were on tape delay, it was only in the 80s when Magic (LA Showtime) and Bird (Boston grit/grind) showed up with contrasting styles that things really blew up. To be totally honest the black/white contrast had just as much if not more to do with that intrigue. The historic nature of the rivalry helped add to that, but tbh it was just broadcast narrative, the real reason people tuned in was to see two elite basketball teams led by superstars with different attitudes duel for supremacy.

Current LA/Boston would do better ratings than LA/Bucks but I'm not sure it would be much more anticipated by the casual audience than LA/Philly. Maybe ABC/ESPN could hype the 'superstars' (AD/Lebron) vs the 'team' (Tatum/Brown/Kemba/Hayward) but that's still a lot less epic a matchup than Magic/Bird. And it's not just Magic/Bird, 2020 Lakers vs Celtics is also probably less enticing to national audiences than Kobe/Pau Lakers vs 08/10 Celtics. Those series had real historical implications informed by the decade of basketball that came before (can Kobe win without Shaq? can KG/Pierce/Allen become champions?) that the current matchup simply can't match. It doesn't seem like the casual audience is dying to know if Lebron can win a ring for LA, or if Davis breaks out, or if Tatum/Brown grow into stars, or about Kemba/Hayward generally.

If I had to bet on it I'd say 2020 Lakers/Celtics does an awesome Game 1 rating and then tails off to mediocrity thereafter because casual fans are just not that invested.

[Hindenburg]

Imagine caring so much about archaic TV ratings in 2020