OKC 28-2 over Seattle

[Macanudo]

The NBA quietly ******* and moans when smaller market teams move higher into the playoffs. The Spurs/Cavs Final from last year was a ratings disaster. Having a team in OKC is NOT good for the league. It's good for the self-image of a bunch of trailer living meth addicts north of the Red River and that's about it.

 

[dangdirtysooner]

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[Macanudo]

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[FondrenRoad]

The nation doesn't even really get behind the Spurs, and they've been awesome. Yet you don't see Spurs fans everywhere like you saw Lakers, Bulls, or Celtics fans in their heydays. Sacramento was never popular. You have to start with a big local fanbase. I think its a bad move. I also don't think OKC will stay behind the team once the honeymoon wears off. I give it a max of 10 years before they will be looking for greener pastures.

 

[dangdirtysooner]

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[dangdirtysooner]

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[Macanudo]

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[Texas Wahoo]

They said during the Hawks game that it was the first televised NBA game from Atlanta in 5 years (and that was the All-Star game. I don't know if they are a big or small market team - but very interesting.

 

[Ramathorn]

Atlanta is considered a large market. But, alot of transplants live there and I think they're below average in support, across the board. But, you could take all the pro teams out of there, and it will still be Atlanta. It doesn't need pro teams to be considered a big league town.

 

[Seattle Husker]

There is so much ignorance on the part of the Oklahoma fans on this thread it's befuddling. I'm sure they believed Bennett when he said he truly wanted to keep the team in Seattle, despite the various email and comments disproving that statement.The Bennett owership group never committed any money to a new stadium. They wanted a $550M new stadium paid purely by public and private (not theirs) money. This would have been the 3rd most expensive basketball arena ever built, behind Detroit and the Staples Arena in LA. As part of thist $550M stadium deal they also wanted to manage the facility in order to get extra profit from multi-use functions. Oh...it couldn't be built on the site of Key Arena either because the location wasn't acceptable. Evidently sitting next to the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project was beneath them. What the Bennett group essentially did was make the deal so one-sided that not a single city, including OKC, could afford to pay it. Is Bennett demanding a $550M arena in OKC?

The Bennett ownership did pledge up to $25M towards a campaign for a voter initiative. WTF? Paul Allen paid $150M towards the $350M Qwest Field. The M's ownership paid every penny over $300M which ended up being $250M of their money towards Safeco Field. Bennett and crew offered nothing.

There was private parties seeking to discuss locations and monies towards a new arena but Bennett refused to speak with them, in each case claiming that the location wasn't appropriate. Evidently halfway between Tacoma and Seattle (which are 30 miles apart) isn't appropriate. To make the deal even more impossible he chose the single location and stated the $550M arena needed to be there (Renton).

The Key Arena had a $98M renovation in '98 and fan attendance was fine until the Bennett team submarined the team, not too unlike the movie Major League.

The NBA should die as a league and I've written the NBA this as a former season ticket holder. What David Stern has done is nothing short of theivery.

 

[Ramathorn]

Weren't last year's finals one of the lowest ever? And that's with Duncan and James.