Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...
Now that the NBA Finals are over, we can all go back to normal sleep patterns since we won't have any more 9pm week night start times for games.
While some of us may think those were late starts and the league needs to move those times up even more, the NBA actually did us (and themselves) a favor by starting them that early. Do you remember watching the incredible performance of Magic Johnson in the sixth game of the 1980 Finals?
Although the Lakers enjoyed a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals, they were headed for the home court of the Philadelphia 76ers without their dominating center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was staying home because of a badly sprained ankle.
Johnson had symbolically sat in the seat normally reserved for Abdul-Jabbar and he planned to take Kareem's place on the court as well, playing center for at least part of the game.
Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, wound up playing all five positions at various points in the game, scoring 42 points, making all 14 of his free throws, getting 15 rebounds and handing out seven assists as he led the Lakers to a 123-107 victory and the NBA title.
But very few fans actually saw it. The Spectrum was filled with 18,726 people but the television audience was scarce as the 11:30pm start time for the tape delayed broadcast discouraged many viewers. What, 11:30pm start time, on tape? That is right, the NBA was televising the weeknight Finals games on tape delay following the local news!
Before the Internet and social media, real time scores were not as available. The NBA offices would beg local television affiliates not to reveal the score of the game that was actually played earlier.
Sadly, the games could not compete against the likes of "Dallas" and other programs during sweeps periods. CBS executives did not want the low rated league messing up their important ratings and even assumed they were going to get blown out in the ratings anyway by NBC's Johnny Carson, then the undisputed king of late-night television.
In order to have as many weekend games as possible, which were televised live in the sports filled afternoon, the NBA had the Finals games played on back to back days, Saturday and Sunday. Even with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson beginning their storied rivalry, the NBA was relegated to second class TV status. CBS aired tape delayed NBA games up through 1986 before finally breaking through from being a poor cousin to baseball and football.
So be thankful, and rested, that every amazing performance or exciting game seen this past year was live....and a little earlier.
All this because I know more about nothing...
Now that the NBA Finals are over, we can all go back to normal sleep patterns since we won't have any more 9pm week night start times for games.
While some of us may think those were late starts and the league needs to move those times up even more, the NBA actually did us (and themselves) a favor by starting them that early. Do you remember watching the incredible performance of Magic Johnson in the sixth game of the 1980 Finals?
Although the Lakers enjoyed a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals, they were headed for the home court of the Philadelphia 76ers without their dominating center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was staying home because of a badly sprained ankle.
Johnson had symbolically sat in the seat normally reserved for Abdul-Jabbar and he planned to take Kareem's place on the court as well, playing center for at least part of the game.
Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, wound up playing all five positions at various points in the game, scoring 42 points, making all 14 of his free throws, getting 15 rebounds and handing out seven assists as he led the Lakers to a 123-107 victory and the NBA title.
But very few fans actually saw it. The Spectrum was filled with 18,726 people but the television audience was scarce as the 11:30pm start time for the tape delayed broadcast discouraged many viewers. What, 11:30pm start time, on tape? That is right, the NBA was televising the weeknight Finals games on tape delay following the local news!
Sadly, the games could not compete against the likes of "Dallas" and other programs during sweeps periods. CBS executives did not want the low rated league messing up their important ratings and even assumed they were going to get blown out in the ratings anyway by NBC's Johnny Carson, then the undisputed king of late-night television.
In order to have as many weekend games as possible, which were televised live in the sports filled afternoon, the NBA had the Finals games played on back to back days, Saturday and Sunday. Even with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson beginning their storied rivalry, the NBA was relegated to second class TV status. CBS aired tape delayed NBA games up through 1986 before finally breaking through from being a poor cousin to baseball and football.
So be thankful, and rested, that every amazing performance or exciting game seen this past year was live....and a little earlier.
All this because I know more about nothing...
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