NBA Finals 2017: Warriors could lose more than $22M by sweeping Cavaliers

cbssports.com

2 points·douche··2 comments

The team (players and coaches) haven't been motivated by home attendance profits at any point, given that they've played the fewest possible home games in all rounds.

Players and coaches don't have incentives to extend series to manufacture additional games... and that's a good thing for the integrity of the game.

Given that the team has gained about a half-billion dollars in valuation in just a few years, shed no tears for ownership.

The players and coaches almost certainly have more to gain by becoming the first team to fulfill Moses Malone's promise of "Fo, Fo, Fo" and becoming the first ever team to sweep the entire playoffs, in endorsement deals, future contracts, and reduced wear-and-tear on their bodies. I believe at one point, NBA players did earn additional per-game salary for the post-season, but the league has now switched to a system where the teams are awarded fixed performance bonuses based on various milestones[1] (which, before they are sliced up amongst the various players, are on the order of a bench-riding veteran's salary), so there is no incentive for them to drag it out.

For the teams, the league, and perhaps most importantly, the broadcast networks, extending series is a big potential for additional revenue. One estimate I've seen claims that ABC missed out on as much as $45 million because the 2015 Finals didn't go to seven games[2]. If David Stern, who was notorious for appearing to put his thumb on the scales, were still commissioner of the league, I'd be watching the officiating of the next two games very closely.

[1] http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/06/02/nba-playoff-b...

[2] http://time.com/money/4373400/nba-finals-rigged-money-abc-ad...

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