The 2021-22 regular season ended yesterday, and just like a weekday Friday is always restless, the enthusiasm for the holiday also makes NBA players want to perform.
On the day of the final game alone, 13 players in the entire league scored 30+ in a single game, 5 of whom scored 40+, and all kinds of immortal data emerged one after another: Kevin Love scored 32 points and 13 rebounds in 13 minutes. , Lakers rookie Reeves scored 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a super triple-double.
On this day, many players who did not have the chance to play on weekdays got the stage to express themselves to the fullest, and told the fans with actions that I was not incapable, but that there was a lack of opportunity.
But do fans really want to see the water cooler managers play together to score points? I don’t think anyone wants to watch chickens peck each other. What everyone wants is a high-intensity and exciting duel.
Even in the star-studded All-Star Game, when the players are not defensive and just perform as a courtesy, the fans don’t buy it at all, let alone a group of little-known fringe players.
At the end of the day, whether fans are watching the game live or online, they are pulling real money out of their wallets, and they want the league to give back with the highest level of competition. Why is the real playoffs popular? It’s just that at this time, every team is winding up and doing everything they can.
The 82 games of the regular season seem to be a bit of aesthetic fatigue for fans. Most teams’ records have actually settled down to the All-Star Game. The high-level teams that have the strength to play in the playoffs have been sitting on the Diaoyutai, using rest and play. Soldiers are trained to deal with the long second half of the competition, and those teams that have no chance of winning for a long time are even more rampant when they are rotten on the field.
There used to be fans who traveled thousands of miles to away games for their favorite stars, but only saw their idols resting on the bench. A game lacking high-level athletes has always only damaged the viewing experience of the game, which is the foundation of the league’s survival and the reason why fans buy tickets to enter the stadium.
So some people have suggested not to make the season so long at all, wouldn’t it be better to shorten the season and add more quality games?
You know, one more game means one more broadcast fee, and the league will not be willing to hand over the money it gets. But if the fans continue to be so aesthetically fatigued, the league will only lose the people’s hearts and end up with a thankless end.
And the person who came up with the play-off decision was probably the league’s savior. Although it was only a small change, it was like a catfish stirring a pool of water, making an otherwise boring long season exciting.
At this point in previous seasons, fans have almost lost interest in watching the game, and everyone is waiting for the fresh excitement of the playoffs, not the old tune of the regular season.
But the appearance of the play-offs made the final stage of the regular season come alive – when the 7th to 10th in the division, a total of 8 teams could not relax and did their best to fight for a possible playoff ticket, There is a place for the fans’ desire to enjoy high-level games.
The data can prove how good the playoffs have brought to the league: The average viewership of the playoffs led by the Lakers and Warriors last year was as high as 2.89 million, which was 46% higher than the first round of the playoffs the year before.
The decline in league ratings in the past few years has been a well-known fact, especially due to the impact of the Morey incident and the impact of the epidemic, the NBA’s attractiveness has long been less than before, and the 2020 finals G1 held in the Orlando campus even refreshed the NBA. The lower limit of the ratings of the historical finals.
However, the attractiveness of the NBA is gradually recovering. Although the finals between the Bucks and the Suns was still at a historical low last year, it was much better than the series between the Lakers and the Heat in the Orlando park, especially when the Bucks won the championship in G6. It was watched by 16.54 million people, the number of viewers increased by 50% year-on-year, and the audience rating increased by 57%.
Although neither the Bucks nor the Suns are popular giants, they have played a high-level series, and full competitiveness is the most critical factor for the NBA to re-attract fans, and this is also the NBA’s decision to do so after feeling the threat of decline in recent years. out of the maximum adjustment.
The addition of the playoffs is undoubtedly an important part of the NBA’s overall strategy to improve the competitiveness of the game. As Hawks coach Nate McMillan said: “The playoffs are creating as much excitement as possible for the NBA.”
Fans are falling back in love with the NBA.
At the beginning, many players held a negative attitude towards the play-offs. Doncic said that he did not understand the meaning of the play-offs. James’s phrase “everyone who invented the play-offs should be fired” became a joke.
But no matter what the players’ attitude towards the play-offs, they must admit that the existence of the play-offs has saved the league’s viewing experience and their money bags.
The playoffs have given the league a taste of the sweetness. Now the league has another way to make money outside the All-Star and playoffs. It is conceivable that this format will continue to exist.
Whoever invented the playoffs should be fired? This may just be James’ wishful thinking. I see, not only will the person who invented the playoffs not be fired, he will probably get a promotion and a raise, and he will reach the pinnacle of his life, right?
Last year, James and Curry met in the playoffs, which made the league happy. You see, this year, there are Durant and Irving. Everyone should be able to hear the voices of the owners counting money, right?
With the play-offs, Xiao Hua, you can have fun!
(brad)
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