Warriors-Rockets Set Viewership Record For TNT With Game One Of WCF

Warriors-Rockets Set Viewership Record For TNT With Game One Of WCF

NBA

by | May 16, 2018 | NBA

TNT is happy to be the exclusive home of the 2018 Western Conference Finals after the Warriors & Rockets set a new record for any game one in the history of the network.

The game, which saw the Warriors win 119-106, averaged 8.8 million viewers, easily setting the record for TNT and it was the most viewed game one of the WCF on any network since the Lakers-Kings series of 2002, which was on NBC.

Via Turner:

The network’s Warriors/Rockets telecast – peaking with an average of 10 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET – is up 38% over TNT’s presentation of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 (Cleveland/Boston, 6.4 million viewers) and 9% when compared with last year’s WCF Game 1 (Warriors/Spurs, 8.1 million viewers).

Last night’s WCF Game 1 telecast was the #1 program of the night across all of television (cable and broadcast) and, including the iconic Inside the NBA post-game show (3.0 overnight rating), delivered the top two programs of the night across all of cable television, based on metered markets.

So much for all the “Kevin Durant ruined the NBA”. These numbers don’t lie.

Written by @IamJoeSports

 

May 16, 2018 No Comments
Phoenix Suns Win #1 Pick In NBA Draft Lottery. Who Will They Choose?

Phoenix Suns Win #1 Pick In NBA Draft Lottery. Who Will They Choose?

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by | May 16, 2018 | Featured, NBA

Tanking has paid off for the Phoenix Suns, as they were awarded the #1 overall selection in the upcoming draft in June. The announcement was made Tuesday night in Chicago at the draft lottery. The Suns had the highest odds of winning the pick and you can bet new head coach, Igor Kokoskov is ecstatic.

The remainder of the lottery went as follows:

2. Kings

3. Hawks

4. Grizzlies

5. Mavericks

6. Magic

7. Bulls

8. Cavs

9. Knicks

10. Sixers

11. Hornets

12. Clippers

13. Clippers

14. Nuggets

What the Suns now do with the pick is obviously the biggest question. Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is looked at as the best player in the draft and if any other team had won the lottery he would probably be a lock to be picked first.

However, Kokoskov already has an existing relationship with European phenom, Luka Doncic, and that could very well prove to be enough for the Suns to go with him instead.  It’s a pretty safe bet the deliberations of what to do with the pick will only include these two players.

The Cavaliers were also an interesting team to watch in this lottery. They acquired the Brooklyn Nets first round pick from the Boston Celtics, courtesy of the Kyrie Irving trade. The Cavs were hoping they could get lucky and wind up having  a top three pick to made that trade seem a little better. So far it remains a big loss for the Cavs, although they have clearly been just fine without Irving.

The draft will be held on June 21st and we will wait till then to see what these lottery teams wind up doing.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 16, 2018 No Comments
Sixers Coach Brett Brown Makes It Clear They Are Targeting Lebron In Free Agency

Sixers Coach Brett Brown Makes It Clear They Are Targeting Lebron In Free Agency

NBA

by | May 12, 2018 | NBA

Brett Brown is not shy in admitting he knows his team needs an all-star caliber player to add to the current roster to really make them a championship contender.

Brown told Derek Bodner of The Athletic “I think another high level free-agent is required [to win a championship]. I think we have the ability to attract one.”

There is no doubt the Sixers are more than capable of attracting some big name players nowadays. After trusting the process for years, it finally paid off with not only making the playoffs, but also advancing to the second round. Not too mention having guys like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, whose talents alone can attract other stars.

In previous years, hearing Lebron’s name come up in free agency with the Sixers would be a joking matter. Success changes things however and now it’s something that is a distinct possibility. That’s something not lost on Brown, who when pressed for what player they want to get this summer kept it simple. “We don’t have to turn this into calculus. It’s quite clear.”

Of course, the Sixers are far from the only team with hopes of attracting Lebron for next season but they have definitely put themselves in a position for it to be more than just a dream.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 12, 2018 No Comments
Vegas Casino Owned By Tilman Fertitta Already Paying Out For Warriors Win

Vegas Casino Owned By Tilman Fertitta Already Paying Out For Warriors Win

NBA

by | May 12, 2018 | NBA

In an odd twist of fate, Tilman Fertitta, who owns both the Houston Rockets and the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, is watching one of his investments cost him money on the other. That’s because the sportsbook inside the Golden Nugget is already paying out for the Warriors winning the Western Conference before the series even begins.

Fertitta purchased the Rockets back in September of 2017 for $2.2 billion dollars. He had already owned the Golden Nugget so when he became owner of the Rockets as well, the sportsbook made the decision to remove the team from all NBA futures bets to avoid any potential conflicts. According to ESPN’s David Purdum, they also removed the team from the possibility of “finishing best” in the West and the NBA Finals.

That means since the Rockets weren’t available to be bet on, the Warriors have technically already “finished best” in the Western Conference and people who placed those bets can already come collect their winnings, even if they were to wind up losing the series.

“We’ve already graded [the Warriors] a winner,” Golden Nugget sportsbook manager Aaron Kessler said. “Bring your ticket and you’ll get paid.”

What’s worse for Fertitta is if the Rockets defeat the Warriors, the same thing will apply for the Finals. Since nobody was able to bet the Rockets would “finish best” in the Finals, that means anyone who had bet the Celtics or Cavs winner would automatically win their Finals bet as well.

According to Kessler, despite the potential of large payouts, it won’t make or break them. “It would be decent handle in a slow month, but it’s not going to kills us if we don’t book The Finals. We’d still have baseball, and we still have the [Vegas Golden] Knights.”

This isn’t the first time a Vegas casino stopped taking bets on an NBA team due to possible conflicts. Back in 2006, Caesars Palace stopped taking bets on Boston Celtics games when casino executive, Gary Loveman, took an ownership stake in the team.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 12, 2018 No Comments
Toronto Raptors Fire Dwane Casey After Setting Franchise Record For Wins

Toronto Raptors Fire Dwane Casey After Setting Franchise Record For Wins

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by | May 11, 2018 | Featured, NBA

The Toronto Raptors have announced they are firing coach Dwane Casey, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Raptors decided to make the move despite Casey just setting a franchise record with 59 wins and being a candidate for coach of the year. This feels mostly like an overreaction to being swept by Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers more than anything else.

It’s really hard to defend a team firing a coach who is coming off a record setting year. The Raptors won 59 games this season and their record improved in six of the seven seasons that Casey was coach. Granted, the season didn’t end how they wanted but it’s also really hard to blame Casey for the way the team played against the Cavs. It never really looked as if the Cavs were necessarily the better team. It more so looked like a team in the Raptors who were in fear of one player and were mentally defeated long before the series ended.

You have to wonder who the Raptors feel they can hire who will come in and get more from the current team. Do they believe they will find a coach who can win 60+ games and get the franchise to the NBA Finals? Those things happening next season are very doubtful, regardless of who is the next coach is. Reports say both Mike Budenholzer and Jerry Stackhouse will get serious consideration.

For Casey personally, there is no doubt he won’t be unemployed for long. Expect him to get offers rather soon to coach elsewhere next season and deservedly so.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 11, 2018 No Comments