Who's Watching?

[cincibuck]

I don't want to take the fun away from the BP gang that's into the NBA finals, but I don't get it. I mean I really don't get it. Its like this invisible world out there that others must see, but I sure don't.

To be fair, I haven't watched more than 5 or 10 minutes of any NBA game since the Byrd - Magic duels... and I didn't watch much of those either.

I had no idea who the Cavs were playing until it came up on my opening screen. I couldn't name anyone other than James or Duncan on either team, and though most of my friends consider themselves "sports fans" not a one of them has expressed interest in the NBA period, or the NBA finals especially. They do follow college football and basketball and NFL football and to a lesser degree, MLB.

Perhaps it's the absence of a team in Cincinnati, but I think the following points from Frank DeFord are valid also: No game in the finals starts before 9. No Friday or Saturday games. Two weeks if the series goes 6 or 7 games. It's June already.

But then I realize that it wouldn't matter if there were a game on Saturday afternoon or 7 PM in early April, I wouldn't watch it.

So who watches NBA basketball? From what I can tell the NBA should just about be out of business, yet it chugs along.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

I'm with ya, Cinci. I thought I might check the finals out just 'cause it's LeBron and the Cavs, and I just haven't. I have no idea when the games are on, etc. Anyway, among the people I know only one person watches the NBA. I figure the league has to be healthy somehow, but.... not in the circles I run in.

 

[BuckeyePride]

Not many people watching NBA these days.... but I too quit after Jordan left.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Too much about 1-2 players on the offensive end for my liking.

 

[jwinslow]

This is a very strange thread. You admit you have almost no interest in professional basketball. even back when the product was strong (byrd-magic, jordan, bad boys, etc).

You're asking a strange question... are you trying to ask why we like a sport you can't bring yourself to watch?

I mean I feel that way about baseball, which while I appreciate the skill and strategy, is just not interesting to me until october, if at all. But I'm not confused how people can watch it.

 

[coastalbuck]

I'd actually like to watch the playoffs, especially this final. Problem is I can't stay up late enough! I'd like to watch the Celtics too, but they haven't' been on tv since about 1990....

 

[cincibuck]

I'd actually like to watch the playoffs, especially this final. Problem is I can't stay up late enough! I'd like to watch the Celtics too, but they haven't' been on tv since about 1990....

So age (and having a job) may be a factor. I didn't miss a World Series game until they moved all the games to night starts. I haven't seen so much as an inning of the WS since 1994 or 95. I haven't watched the end of a Monday Night Football game in at least a decade, more like two.

Until I turned 40 I'd watch just about anything that sports television threw out there (except wrestling, sychronized swimming and ice skating). Now I find that I've narrowed my interest down to OSU football, some college football and a bit of NFL if I can catch anything besides the damn bengals. I could/can tell you the basic lineup of just about any Reds team from the 50's till about 93. The strikes and the manner in which the Reds got their new stadium along with the domination of the Yankees, killed whatever interest I had in baseball.

sounds like some of you have undergone similar transitions.

 

[OSUsushichic]

If they played every game with the intensity of the playoffs, I might watch more. It's boring to watch a game when it's all scoring and very little defense.

 

[BB73]

I've seen most of the playoff games. I can hardly watch regular season baseball, there are just so many games.

I like to watch sports that really matter to the competitors. In the NBA, the regular season is very long, and only some of the games are really maeningful. But in the playoffs, every game is important, so I enjoy them.

 

[Wells4Heisman]

I watched any of the Cavaliers regular season games that were on where I live, and I've watched all of the Playoff games. I enjoy the NBA but its just not fun to watch for some people.

 

[OhioState49]

I don't understand why in many sports there are more than one game in the finals.

 

[Best Buckeye]

I don't understand why in many sports there are more than one game in the finals.

M O N E Y

 

[joefoshow]

I usally just watch the last quarter if I can but otherwise i dont watch at all.

 

[hutch]

I watch as many games as I can during the season, and don't miss playoff games for pretty much any reason, Cavs, that is.

I'll watch the Sunday afternoon NBA games no matter who's playing, except during the NFL season. I also watch other games during the season that are good matchups.

I'll probably get NBA League Pass this year to catch Oden with Portland.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I don't understand why in many sports there are more than one game in the finals.

It depends upon the sport. Sports like baseball, hockey, and basketball play a much longer season games-wise than does football, so it would be a bit unfair to have first-place Team A with a .700 winning percentage get bounced because of one single bad game against Team H with a .540 winning percentage. If the underdog is going to advance, they're going to have to earn it by beating the upper seed several times and not rely on a one-game fluke. Football plays a tougher and much shorter season and so can't physically afford such a longer playoff.

If you compare the length of the regular seasons with the length of the playoffs in all the major sports, you'll find that sports like baseball, hockey, and basketball really don't have a longer playoff period in relation to the regular season than does football.