PLAYOFFS TAKE WORLD BY STORM
NBA PLAYOFFS RECORD HIGHEST VIEWING RATE IN YEARS
APRI 17TH, 2018
The NBA playoffs this year have given fans a reason to watch.
This year the team who is favorite for the NBA championship has been more unclear than ever as the usual powerhouses are injury-riddled and the underdogs now have a chance. There has not been this much excitement going into the playoffs. The four games on April 14, 2018 have ratings up 17% from last year--the highest in full five years!
Coming into the 2018 NBA season, there were high expectations for more competition than in previous years as numerous teams made off-season improvements to their rosters through free agency to compete for a title. Some people called last years free agency period the best in history.
Surprisingly enough, this NBA season has nothing to give us but a competitive regular season and hopes for an amazing playoffs. This is mainly due to that fact that the dominant Golden State Warriors have been injury-riddled this year giving birth to title hopes for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors.
The Houston Rockets have the biggest hopes for the title as they have the best record in the NBA through the regular season. They have some of the best three point shooting the NBA has ever seen and have the undisputed MVP in James Harden. On top of this players like Chris Paul III, Eric Gordon, and Clint Capela offer amazing floor spacing, but also dominance on the glass--the perfect match to beat the Warriors.
Although the Eastern conference is wide open as the usual favorite. the Cleveland Cavaliers as a team are at a low in talent level compared to previous years and once again must be carried by Lebron James, but this time without Kyrie Irving. Lebron this year might not be enough to get Cleveland out of the Eastern Conference as a team like the Indiana Pacers shocked NBA fans and obliterated Cleveland only foreshadowing the rest of the series.
Many then assumed the Boston Celtics are the next big powerhouse--makes sense right? Wrong. Although they have what many believe to be coach of the year, Brad Stevens, they have lost their two best players and face a young Bucks team with a powerful big three which is more than enough to stop them.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and company should be able to stop a Boston team whose best player on the court is a sophomore out of UC Berkeley. Teams like the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged from a lottery team to now the apparent favorite to make the Eastern Conference Finals. They have shown amazing promise as they are on a 17-game winning streak including a blow-out win against the Miami Heat in game one of the playoffs.
Rookie star and possible rookie of the year, Ben Simmons, and all-star Joel Embiid, have proven they are a force not to be reckoned with. Their supporting cast of role players and three-point-shooters give them the perfect case to surround the their two best players.
Although the other favorite, the Toronto Raptors, have been on a tear this season setting multiple franchise records with one of the best storylines in the NBA, after a disappointing season, they lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals causing their head coach, Dwane Casey, from almost being fired, to now being the number one team in the East. They have been proving everyone wrong changing the way of playing by now having a lot of ball movement and good defense the complete opposite of last year. They have also proven they are not going to choke in the playoffs anymore, winning their first game one in franchise history, proving they are here to stay. They also have what many believe is the best bench in the NBA. The new and improved Raptors are here to stay and compete for a championship not to just simply make the finals.
This is a recipe for the perfect NBA season. Competition is something the NBA has lacked for years as the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have made it to the finals for THREE STRAIGHT years, and for the first time in years there is no set or favored team to make the finals.
This gives fans a reason once again to watch the playoffs, proving the skyrocket in ratings is no surprise.
Sources:
Holloway, Daniel. “NBA Regular-Season Ratings Hit 4-Year High.” Variety, 13 Apr. 2018, variety.com/2018/tv/news/nba-ratings-1202752848/.
Hayes, Dade. “NBA Playoffs Post Best Opening Saturday Ratings In Five Years.” Deadline, 15 Apr. 2018, deadline.com/2018/04/nba-playoffs-post-best-opening-saturday-ratings-in-five-years-1202364562/.
Photo 1: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Photo 2: Justin Tafoya/Getty Images
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