Nobody's Supposed To Be Here by Katie Heindl Championship teams come apart. Kevin Love and the Cavs both went on grasping at the pieces that were better off burning up in a return to the atmospheric realities of a league that, healthy or not, never stops. It's Always Better To Try by Colin McGowan The Knicks are exploring the outer limits of what a not-great team can do when they play really hard every night. That counts for a lot, especially in a sleepy pandemic season. The Memeification Of Paul George by Rafael Canton It's not so much that Paul George has lost in the playoffs, but it's also the way that he's lost. There's still time for George to change his story.<doc-sep>ESPN and ABC's Highest-Rated NBA Conference Semifinals Since 2012 Metered Market Ratings Up 20 Percent from Last Year The 2019 NBA Conference Semifinals was ESPN and ABC's highest-rated NBA Playoffs second round since 2012, according to Nielsen. Metered market ratings for ESPN and ABC's game coverage were up 20 percent compared to 2018 and up 24 percent to 2017. The platforms averaged a 4.2 metered market rating across 11 game telecasts, up from a 3.5 rating from last season and a 3.4 from 2017. Sunday's Game 7 between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets generated a 4.8 metered market rating on ABC. The rating was up nine percent from the last time ABC aired an NBA Conference Semifinals broadcast in 2016 (Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors, 4.4 rating). The broadcast averaged a 19.9 rating in the Portland market, making it the highest-rated NBA game on ABC in 16 years. ESPN's exclusive coverage of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Finals tips off on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET when the Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers. The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery precedes Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. For more details on ESPN's full night of coverage on Tuesday, visit ESPN Press Room.<doc-sep>Want even more betting news? Sign up for VSiN's free daily newsletter . Listen Live to VSiN's sports betting shows Want even more betting news? Sign up for VSiN's free daily newsletter . Listen Live to VSiN's sports betting shows While it’s easy to use point spreads to determine the perceived superior team in each ongoing NBA playoff series, building a Power Ratings scale that accurately reflects the current market is tricky because of varying home-court values. It’s been awhile since VSiN has had a chance to update this theme amidst the NBA and NHL playoff frenzy. Jonathan Von Tobel (co-host of “The Edge” weekdays from 3-6 p.m. ET) and I put our heads together to build a scale. We started with the following facts: Toronto was priced around -6¹/₂ to -7 at home vs. Philadelphia, and -1 to -1¹/₂ on the road until it was thought Pascal Siakam would miss Sunday’s Game 4. That would suggest Toronto is about -3¹/₂ on a neutral court with both teams at full strength. Our scale should have the Raptors about 3-4 points higher on the ladder. We’ll stay conservative and make it three points. Denver was around -4 at home vs. Portland, while the Blazers were shaded just below that at the Moda Center. We’re going to call these teams even on a neutral court because Denver usually gets extra respect at altitude. Milwaukee was around -7¹/₂ to -8 at home vs. Boston, while the Celtics closed at -1¹/₂ in both of their first two home games. That’s a wider adjustment than you’d expect for a series not involving altitude … about 9 to 9¹/₂ points. Easy enough to bisect, though. A neutral court line off those numbers would be Milwaukee -3¹/₂ . The Bucks will sit three rungs higher than the Celtics. Golden State was -6 and -5¹/₂ at home vs. Houston, while the Rockets were -3¹/₂ and -1¹/₂ in the Lone Star state. Because the Rockets could manage only a regulation tie when laying -3¹/₂, that was probably too high. Let’s call it Golden State by 2¹/₂ on a neutral court. The futures board has been showing Golden State and Milwaukee as the class of their respective conferences for weeks. With that in mind, Jonathan and I will go with estimated “market” Power Ratings of Warriors 90, Bucks 87, Rockets 87, Raptors 86, Celtics 84, 76ers 83, Nuggets 83, Trail Blazers 83. As we’ve discussed in the past, this type of exercise helps you “get inside the head” of the market. It’s impossible to know for sure what’s going to happen in any given game. But, you can evaluate whether or not the market is properly pricing the possibilities. Sharps beat the market because they look for value. You also can use estimated “market” Power Ratings to project likely point spreads for future rounds. That could lead to opportunities on series prices or the futures board. Jonathan and I will continue to update our estimated “market” Power Ratings periodically through the rest of the NBA postseason. Do you see any examples where the market may be overrating or underrating a contender in a way you can exploit?<doc-sep>ABC generated its highest-rated primetime NBA Conference Semifinals game broadcast since 2011 on Saturday, according to Nielsen. ABC’s coverage of the Houston Rockets victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their Western Conference Semifinals series was up 20 percent from last year’s comparable window. It averaged a 5.5 metered market rating and peaked with a 7.3 rating from 11-11:15 p.m. ET. In the San Francisco-Oakland market, where the Warriors are based, the broadcast delivered an 18.2 rating, while in the Houston market, the telecast delivered an 11.8 rating. Through six games, ESPN and ABC’s NBA Conference Semifinals coverage is averaging a 4.1 metered market rating, up 21 percent from last season. It was ESPN’s second consecutive night of posting significant ratings increases for its NBA Playoffs coverage. ABC’s coverage of the 2019 NBA Playoffs continues today when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.<doc-sep>
The NBA ratings are ​in need of a boost after the regular season's Nielsen viewership numbers took a bit of a tumble in 2018-19. Luckily for the league office, as well as for fans looking for an entertaining series, the Western Conference semifinals has brought entertainment that both the NBA and its consumers can unite behind. Warriors-Rockets Games 4, 5 Most Watched First/Second Round Games On Cable Since 2012 https://t.co/Va7IryAy4W — RealGM (@RealGM) May 10, 2019 Monday's Game 4 attracted 6.88 million viewers, with Wednesday's ​Game 5 right behind with 6.77 million. Both are the highest-rated games since Game 6 of the 2012 Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, which resulted in a 105-93 Heat win en route to LeBron James' first league championship. Saturday night’s Western Conference Playoffs game between the Warriors and Rockets was the highest-rated primetime NBA Conference Semifinals game broadcast since 2011.https://t.co/cOTdT8T23n — theGrio.com (@theGrio) May 6, 2019 It's no secret that over the past two seasons Warriors vs. Rockets has had a Finals-like feel to it. The two teams have been among the best, and most importantly, arguably the two most fun to watch in recent seasons, with fast-paced shooting battles and star-centric iso ball being main attractions. And while the league's bigwigs may have preferred to see the matchup take place in the Conference Finals, they have the luxury of being able to deliver fans a blockbuster series early in the postseason, something fans have voted on positively with their remotes.