208 days ago
208 days ago
This is going to be one entertaining finals. These teams are here because they were the teams executing at the end of games — both sides have tremendous come-from-behind wins and both have just simply out executed their opponents in the clutch. Both have seen their best players — Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James — win games with jump shots.
This year’s finals feature a couple interesting storylines as well. The Heat made worldwide headlines this offseason by signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to go alongside Dwyane Wade in what many have termed “the three headed dragon”. $300 M later, this move has drawn criticism from fans who believe the Heat are trying to buy a championship. Miami has gone into the playoffs and will enter the finals rooted against and perceived by many as the bad guys- a role they embrace. On the flip side the Dallas Mavericks, owned by controversial billionaire technology tycoon Mark Cuban, are viewed as the old guys who are still bitter after losing the 2006 Finals. A recent U.S poll has non-participant cities rooting for the Mavericks by a 4 to 1 margin.
While the NBA is the 3rd most popular sport in the United States it has rapidly become the US’s biggest sports export. International sales make up 35 percent of the NBA’s overall merchandise business, and are expected to soar another 30 percent this year. More than half of NBA.com’s traffic is from outside America — more than for any other sports league — and NBA.com/china is averaging 7.5 million page views during the finals, about one-third of all traffic to NBA.com.
And so the finals have become a global affair, with coverage broadcast live to more international stations, websites, and other channels than ever! This year we can expect to see the Finals broadcast in at least 215 countries and territories and in 41 languages.
