Posted on 12/27/2002 10:19:31 AM PST by GeneD
The debut of ABC's NBA telecasts, largely depicted as a "loss leader" for the network, turned out to be no leader at all Wednesday night as a double-header wound up in third place with an average 3.6 rating and a 7 share, falling behind the umpteenth rerun of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS (4.3/9) and a repeat of The West Wing on NBC (4.0/7). The top-rated show of the night was a rerun of NBC's Law & Order (6.8/13), which gave NBC a slight edge in the overall ratings for the night, as it scored a 4.8/10 to CBS's 4.7/9. On Thursday, in a night of reruns, CBS bested NBC's must-see shows, most impressively in the 10:00 hour, when a repeat of Without a Trace, with a 9.6/16 rating beat a repeat of E.R., with a 7.0/11. CBS averaged an 11.3/18 for the night, more than 50 percent above NBC's 7.5/12.
If I owned Disney stock I'd lead the chant: "FIRE MICHAEL EISNER! FIRE MICHAEL EISNER!"
At this point the NBA is closer to a staged event like a World Wrestling Federation event than a true competitive sport.
NBA is now an entire league of tattooed, punctured freaks.
Can't even stand to watch highlights on ESPN anymore.
Can't even name 20 current players in the entire league.
I enjoyed every minute of the Nets humiliation of the Celtics.
The NBA will, however, get better in the upcoming years - because foreign players will slowly take over the game, and return it to fundamentals. Yao Ming is the best reason to watch an NBA game right now.
Shaq would be sitting on the bench with three fouls after the first three times he touched the ball. LOL!!! I hate the "Shaq Rules" the league had to adopt when he came in. I cant wait until he retires.
The NBA will, however, get better in the upcoming years - because foreign players will slowly take over the game, and return it to fundamentals.
You could be right, and I hope so.
Yao Ming is the best reason to watch an NBA game right now.
I have to admit that I thought he would be a bust. I think I was wrong after seeing him do so well. Right now, he is twice the player Shaq ever was - but he's just 100 lbs or so lighter and the league hasn't changed rules for him.
Well, one could say the same about hockey - it's like watching a basketball game where you can't see the ball and teams shoot four percent from the field. Since I like both sports when played well, I tend to overlook their respective downsides. But at least the NHL is still interesting and not personality-driven. The NBA is just plain stupid anymore.
Michael
< /sarcasm> <|:)~
- Most modern basketball players look and act like a bunch of spoiled thugs. Top-to-bottom tattoos and piercings, off-court arrests, constant on-court cursing and zero sportsmanship. It's hard to root for anyone when they pride themselves on being jerks.
- My team, the Suns, are pathetic. This city used to go bonkers for them; now every game is quiet as a yoga class. It's hard to support a team that constantly sabotages themselves.
- Season is WAY too long and most games are meaningless. The Lakers snooze until the All-Star break, then casually lope to the championship trophy. Even though they seem to suck this year, they're still my pick to take the ring.
- Games are WAY too long and most of it is meaningless. The good teams just keep it within 10 points until the last quarter, then go on to win it. A few years ago, I stopping watching games until the fourth quarter. For the past three years, I don't watch the games at all.
Any other theories out there?
But that's precisely the point. Most hockey fans can harken back to last night's game and remember the go-ahead goal in the third period, or the shorthanded goal in the second period that tied the score and changed the momentum of the game. Most of the points scored in basketball, on the other hand, are utterly non-descript.
I can just see the headline now . . .
NETS BLAST CELTICS, 101-89
Kidd's two free throws at the 6:04 mark of the second quarter tie the score for the 17th time in the game . . .
Celtics coach agonizes over Kidd's foul-shooting -- "I knew the game was over as soon as they scored those 34th and 35th points."
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