Could the frothing, wild-eyed hatred of the Miami Heat be good news for the oft-beleaguered NBA?
In an interview with NBA.com Monday, TNT NBA play-by-play voice Marv Albert likened the hatred generated for the Heat to that of the Cowboys, Yankees and Celtics, calling it a “good thing for the league.” Albert: “People will want to see [the Heat] get beat. They’ll be targets, and that’s terrific.”
Albert, scheduled to call Tuesday’s Pistons/Heat preseason game for NBA TV, predicted record ratings for both TNT and ESPN during the first two months of the season due to the “attractiveness of Miami and Boston, Orlando, and the Lakers.”
When asked if the Heat had received too much media coverage, Albert likened it to the Bulls of the 1990s. “I think there’s going to be so much scrutiny that it can be difficult for the players. We saw it with the Bulls. It was a traveling circus at times when they would come to town. … But for the league, that’s wonderful. It’s just great.”
While 2010 has been yet another bad year for the NBA from an image standpoint — as nearly every year has been since the most recent lockout (1999) — the shrill anger directed towards the Heat and the cacophony of free agency gossip in general has seemingly had some tangible benefits for the league.
Sports Business Journal reported last week that the NBA will begin the upcoming season with “more than $100 million in new full-season-ticket revenue, a record amount for the league.” NBA teams sold 40% more full season tickets through late September than through the comparable point last year.
The league expects to generate $1 billion in gate revenue, primarily through season ticket sales.
