One of the greatest upsets in NBA history is on the horizon. On a day when the defending champion Miami Heat were eliminated from the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks — with 67 wins and only 15 losses in the regular season — went down three games to one to the number eight seed Golden State Warriors — a team that had missed the playoffs for thirteen straight seasons.
Because of that upset, the NBA finds itself in an interesting position — relishing the excitement that a shocking upset can create, and dreading the possible outcome. If the Golden State Warriors win, that opens a potential path to the Conference Finals for the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz play a style of basketball that is hard to watch, as do their opponents, the Houston Rockets. However, the Rockets at the very least have Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, making them less of a ratings nightmare than the Jazz would be. Right now, Utah is tied in their playoff series with Houston at two games apiece, making it utterly plausible that they could defeat the Rockets and then solve the Warriors in the second round.
In a best case scenario, the Warriors will pull a ’99 Knicks, winning their first round series and then destroying whomever they play in the second round (remember, the eight seed Knicks swept Atlanta in the second round). Then, Golden State would play Phoenix in a Conference Final that could very well set ratings records for ESPN/ABC simply because of the quality of play.
In a worst case scenario, the Warriors get defeated by the Utah Jazz, who then advance to the Conference Finals and play the San Antonio Spurs. A Jazz/Spurs Conference Final might not even be able to beat Sunday Night Baseball games on ESPN. A series that slow, plodding and defensive minded — with two very small markets — could send ratings to NHL levels.
Of course, all of this could be moot if the Dallas Mavericks win the series, or if the Jazz go down to Houston (that being said, a Rockets/Spurs series would be a ratings nightmare as well). However, the possibility exists, which cannot be making David Stern very comfortable.
