For years, NBA fans have complained about the state of the game.
The three-point shooting, flopping, poor officiating, and players who do not play defense – or do not play at all – have driven the fans away from the game.
Fortunately for those watching at home, that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder put together an absolute masterpiece of a game, perhaps the best in the regular season.
That’s why ESPN insider Brian Windhorst claimed that it had been an advertisement for the NBA (via First Take and Awful Announcing):
“This was an advertisement of NBA regular season basketball at its best… that 12 minutes of basketball (in the third quarter)… was as high as a level as I’ve seen in the regular season in my 20+ years covering the NBA… if you don’t love this game if you watched this, you don’t love basketball,” he said.
Brian Windhorst on Cavs-Thunder: "This was an advertisement of NBA regular season basketball at its best… that 12 minutes of basketball (in the third quarter)… was as high as a level as I've seen in the regular season in my 20+ years covering the NBA… if you don't love this… pic.twitter.com/WYmwiN2t3T
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2025
The league had to offer the players a weekend in Las Vegas and a huge financial incentive to play hard in the regular season.
That’s why the Emirates NBA Cup was such a success: The fans wanted to watch the players compete.
Now, it’s become evident that they must look to maximize and advertise the teams that play the right way, even if they don’t play in the bigger markets.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are all getting older, and neither of their teams should be considered a legitimate championship contender.
It’s time the league makes way for other teams and other stars.
The fans will start watching and showing interest in the league as long as the players do their part.
We’ve never seen more talent in the league, but their approach and how the game is covered aren’t doing the NBA any favors.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Makes A Big Statement About The Cavs
