The refereeing style in the playoffs has been very suspect. It's been no coincidence that all playoff series matchups have been ref'd the same way.I get physical play but the holding and grabbing is clearly in violation of current rules. Is this more a result of team strategy to dare the refs to blow the whistle every 24 seconds and destroy the flow of games making them too long and unwatchable or by design dictated by the league office?

I was just listening to Adam Silver being interviewed on the Breakfast Ball show. This dude is not done making changes all geared towards marketing of the game. This dude makes me want to hurl, he's ruining the game trying to reshape basketball to his vision of what it should be.

Sports betting also could be having a bigger impact on the game than we know. How long before the next big scandal and allegations of cover up?

They really need to fire Silver and save our game.

GustavBahler wrote:They won’t fire Silver. If he didn’t get fired for the Lakers/Mavs fiasco, Silver isn’t going anywhere. The other owners don’t seem to be objecting to Dallas and LA getting preferential treatment. They’re making money.

Who is firing Silver? The owners don’t care he’s just their puppet same way Goodell is in the NFL.

I agree Silver is a lousy commissioner and a terrible marketer. The guy couldn’t sell water in the desert. His entire philosophy is do everything to help the lakers and tv ratings have gone down as a result. But the nba will continue to get lucrative tv and streaming contracts because it’s easy content the tv networks don’t want to spend money on creating their own content anymore and a similar thing has started to happen with streaming it’s a lot easier and even cheaper for Apple and Prime to get the broadcast rights for pro sports than pay producers, directors, writers and actors big money to film movies and tv shows nobody watches because 99% of them suck.

Nalod wrote:If they really wanted the ratings, then why is two small market teams in the finals?
If Silver is so bad, why is revenue up, team values up, and business expanding?
Times have changed. Media distribution has changed. League economics changed.
Best players are from other lands. They don't hype stars, they hype teams. That bothersome?
Didn't like the player empowerment and super friends teams? They changed the CBA to discourage that.
Instead you have parity instead of dynasties.
Every major sports has big fan base and hates the commish. Stern was hated. Goodell is hated. Bettman, Manford........Who do you like? Why?
Legal betting? I don't like it, but they could not stop it. Instead they embraced it and make money off it where traditional TV revenue drops.
If Lakers get all the perks, why they not doing better? If Knicks are huge draw, why they not been given similar considerations? Why the Bulls not be relevant?

This about Refs? Same **** since the beginning of time? Fans don't like any league's refs.
Major scandal? We had the Tim Daughtry thing and he went to jail Porter is banned. Guys get caught its bad. Always has been. YOu understand the efforts they actually make to thwart it? Is it perfect? Never is. But was it easier when it was underground? Yes. Fan behavior is worse I think because of it. That on Silver too?
All star game? Who the **** cares about it. Yeah, it sucks. for sure. I don't watch it. Why get pissed about it?
NBA cup thing? Hate it? Fact is its gained some traction.
All these new awards and names? Stupid too.
Don't like the 3pt and pace of the game? Me neither. Blame Steph Curry, not Silver. Coaches have a talented player they exploit it.
Add that to long list of historical fan distain: Hip hop style, cocaine, free agency, 24 second shot clock, hand checking, Fighting, Chinese people, racial integration, Jewish Commish, 8 second back court, Instant replay, Not enough scoring, too much scoring, Black lives matter, Patrick Ewing, Lebron's empowerment, Durants Empowerment, Dwight Howard Christian hypocrisy, A women as lead announcer, Mormans, and of course Trae Young!

You left out the Illuminati, The Pope, the Queen of England, and Reptilians in charge of major governments

Knixkik wrote:

Rookie wrote:Two finals teams with no super star players from small markets in states that no one cares about. This is bound to be a playoff series with low ratings.

The refereeing style in the playoffs has been very suspect. It's been no coincidence that all playoff series matchups have been ref'd the same way.I get physical play but the holding and grabbing is clearly in violation of current rules. Is this more a result of team strategy to dare the refs to blow the whistle every 24 seconds and destroy the flow of games making them too long and unwatchable or by design dictated by the league office?

I was just listening to Adam Silver being interviewed on the Breakfast Ball show. This dude is not done making changes all geared towards marketing of the game. This dude makes me want to hurl, he's ruining the game trying to reshape basketball to his vision of what it should be.

Sports betting also could be having a bigger impact on the game than we know. How long before the next big scandal and allegations of cover up?

They really need to fire Silver and save our game.

This is a really interesting situation. Okc vs Indiana probably won’t have great ratings but it doesn’t matter with the new tv deals locked in. Clearly a NY/ LA finals would break records. Personally I think the nba tightened its belt too significantly on the parity, but it has definitely served its purpose to prevent longterm contenders. The league is more unpredictable than ever, for better or for worse.

Yes, the new ratings only effect future TV deals and NBA finds new sources of revenue. Good catch.
Despite PhilC person grip with Silver it seems Silver is "Selling" as he opens up that partial ownerships can be investment groups admits raising values. Small market teams share in the success. I get why Dolan is pissed but this is the way going forward.
A few Europe teams seems to be moving to NBA inclusion. Is growth always a good thing? Its his job to do this for the ownership that employs him. Some fans will resist change because they like things as they were.

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

Rookie wrote:Two finals teams with no super star players from small markets in states that no one cares about. This is bound to be a playoff series with low ratings.

The refereeing style in the playoffs has been very suspect. It's been no coincidence that all playoff series matchups have been ref'd the same way.I get physical play but the holding and grabbing is clearly in violation of current rules. Is this more a result of team strategy to dare the refs to blow the whistle every 24 seconds and destroy the flow of games making them too long and unwatchable or by design dictated by the league office?

I was just listening to Adam Silver being interviewed on the Breakfast Ball show. This dude is not done making changes all geared towards marketing of the game. This dude makes me want to hurl, he's ruining the game trying to reshape basketball to his vision of what it should be.

Sports betting also could be having a bigger impact on the game than we know. How long before the next big scandal and allegations of cover up?

They really need to fire Silver and save our game.

This is a really interesting situation. Okc vs Indiana probably won’t have great ratings but it doesn’t matter with the new tv deals locked in. Clearly a NY/ LA finals would break records. Personally I think the nba tightened its belt too significantly on the parity, but it has definitely served its purpose to prevent longterm contenders. The league is more unpredictable than ever, for better or for worse.

Yes, the new ratings only effect future TV deals and NBA finds new sources of revenue. Good catch.
Despite PhilC person grip with Silver it seems Silver is "Selling" as he opens up that partial ownerships can be investment groups admits raising values. Small market teams share in the success. I get why Dolan is pissed but this is the way going forward.
A few Europe teams seems to be moving to NBA inclusion. Is growth always a good thing? Its his job to do this for the ownership that employs him. Some fans will resist change because they like things as they were.

Silver is a trash commissioner you’re just flat out wrong even more wrong than your championing of Elfrid the Uber driver.

Philc1 wrote:

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

Rookie wrote:Two finals teams with no super star players from small markets in states that no one cares about. This is bound to be a playoff series with low ratings.

The refereeing style in the playoffs has been very suspect. It's been no coincidence that all playoff series matchups have been ref'd the same way.I get physical play but the holding and grabbing is clearly in violation of current rules. Is this more a result of team strategy to dare the refs to blow the whistle every 24 seconds and destroy the flow of games making them too long and unwatchable or by design dictated by the league office?

I was just listening to Adam Silver being interviewed on the Breakfast Ball show. This dude is not done making changes all geared towards marketing of the game. This dude makes me want to hurl, he's ruining the game trying to reshape basketball to his vision of what it should be.

Sports betting also could be having a bigger impact on the game than we know. How long before the next big scandal and allegations of cover up?

They really need to fire Silver and save our game.

This is a really interesting situation. Okc vs Indiana probably won’t have great ratings but it doesn’t matter with the new tv deals locked in. Clearly a NY/ LA finals would break records. Personally I think the nba tightened its belt too significantly on the parity, but it has definitely served its purpose to prevent longterm contenders. The league is more unpredictable than ever, for better or for worse.

Yes, the new ratings only effect future TV deals and NBA finds new sources of revenue. Good catch.
Despite PhilC person grip with Silver it seems Silver is "Selling" as he opens up that partial ownerships can be investment groups admits raising values. Small market teams share in the success. I get why Dolan is pissed but this is the way going forward.
A few Europe teams seems to be moving to NBA inclusion. Is growth always a good thing? Its his job to do this for the ownership that employs him. Some fans will resist change because they like things as they were.

Silver is a trash commissioner you’re just flat out wrong even more wrong than your championing of Elfrid the Uber driver.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/05/nba-team-sponsorship-up-jersey-patches.html

excerpts

NBA teams notched $1.62 billion in sponsorship revenue this season — an increase of 8% since last year, and 91% from $850 million five years ago, according to third-party data firm SponsorUnited.
The sponsorship increase comes on the heels of the league’s $77 billion media rights deal, in which games will be offered across Disney’
s platforms like ESPN, Comcast’s NBC broadcast and Peacock, and Amazon’s Prime Video beginning next season. The latest media rights deal shows a heavy emphasis on streaming and a broader expansion on broadcast TV.
Individual star players have beckoned some of the biggest endorsement deals, which didn’t contribute to the team sponsorship total, but often serve as a gateway for brands to eventually strike deals with teams, said Lynch.

“What we’re seeing is that players are almost becoming teams themselves in the number of sponsorship deals they have,” said Lynch.

Initially, star players and their massive social media followings were considered a threat to overall league and team sponsorship revenue. Instead, they’ve provided a boost, said Lynch.

“It’s created a larger ecosystem for brands to enter into the NBA space, sort of dip their toe in the water,” he said.

Phil, might want to read. Its not a definitive piece, but it speaks to how teams and players are making money differently in this era. Measuring as you do is outdated.

Nalod wrote:I asked: "why does low ratings for sports event not matter as networks keep paying more?"

Google replied

Low ratings for sports events don't necessarily mean that networks won't keep paying increasing amounts for broadcasting rights. While ratings are a significant factor in driving value for networks, other factors also contribute to the value of sports rights, and the landscape of sports consumption is evolving.
Here's why low ratings may not prevent networks from paying more for sports rights:
Live sports are a key driver of viewership: Live sports events, unlike most other content, demand "tune-in" viewing at specific times, making them highly valuable to networks and advertisers.
Advertising revenue remains strong: Advertisers are still willing to pay top dollar for ad spots during live sports broadcasts due to the captured audience, offsetting some of the impact of potential ratings dips.
Emergence of streaming and direct-to-consumer platforms: The rise of streaming platforms like Amazon, ESPN+, and Peacock has created a competitive bidding environment for sports rights, driving up their value.
Sports content is foundational for streaming platforms: Having major sports content is crucial for streaming platforms to attract and retain subscribers, as it is a key driver of viewership and engagement.
Diversification of platforms and viewing options: Sports leagues are diversifying their content packages to reach a wider audience across various platforms (linear TV, streaming, direct-to-consumer).
Shift to younger demographics: Younger generations are increasingly consuming sports content through streaming and on-demand platforms, leading to new opportunities for revenue generation and engagement.
In essence, while ratings are important, the shift to streaming, the continued value of live sports for advertisers, and the increasing competition for content rights are all contributing factors that drive up the cost of sports broadcasting rights, even with lower traditional TV ratings.

Now if one likes to use low ratings to support redundant Silver bashing based on personal annoyances then not much more we can do other than understands the league grows on revenue and projected revenues. Boring things like math. Does the current trend of team valuations still go up? For the time being fresh capital sources chasing these things (Phil,its call DEMAND) will inflate values. I'd would imagine its not infinite amount but a broken close is right twice a day so at some point it will happen. When and at what level? Who knows?

Ratings for the nba finals down 23% from last year. Silver doing a great job as always Nalod.

https://www.themirror.com/sport/basketball/pacers-thunder-nba-tv-ratings-1211639.amp

Philc1 wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:They won’t fire Silver. If he didn’t get fired for the Lakers/Mavs fiasco, Silver isn’t going anywhere. The other owners don’t seem to be objecting to Dallas and LA getting preferential treatment. They’re making money.

Who is firing Silver? The owners don’t care he’s just their puppet same way Goodell is in the NFL.

I agree Silver is a lousy commissioner and a terrible marketer. The guy couldn’t sell water in the desert. His entire philosophy is do everything to help the lakers and tv ratings have gone down as a result. But the nba will continue to get lucrative tv and streaming contracts because it’s easy content the tv networks don’t want to spend money on creating their own content anymore and a similar thing has started to happen with streaming it’s a lot easier and even cheaper for Apple and Prime to get the broadcast rights for pro sports than pay producers, directors, writers and actors big money to film movies and tv shows nobody watches because 99% of them suck.

Philc has learned that Via "Nalodpedia" that Silver works for the owners and is beholden to the all mighty dollar. Like Stern was not? Or Pete rozelle? Or any other pro sport commish. Just too cool for school to admit not much has changed. They all get booed in public!
How many times you gonna tell us "Silver can't sell" when you have increasing revenue, team valuations climbing in his tenure, plans for expansion and moving into Europe in a big way? What is he not selling Philc? Or does he speak above your intellect? Still stuck on video games to rank players or jersey sales to make a point? Or just your way of advertising how misinformed you are?

Silver is paid by the owners. They are the league. He is not a puppet, he is their CEO to manage the league. THey own the league you dumbass. They own the game.
Don't like it, don't watch. Better yet, don't comment on it.