Cavs vs. Thunder ratings prove that fans prefer games over narratives

Good product in primetime spots equals great viewership…what a concept!

In case you haven’t been on the socials lately, the NBA is apparently a bygone industry. Wherever you look there are many pundits and fans saying the game is dead. Then funny enough, when the NBA lucked into two teams having some of the best starts in league history facing off, something magically occurred. People cared.

It was released via the NBA on X that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 1.87 million viewers. Not only was this a 20% boost from a comparable window from last season but the game also peaked at 2.5 million viewers.

The league took this head-to-head more seriously than any mid-January game that I can remember. The build-up was drawn out all week as this could be the matchup of the season. ESPN was hyping it up in a fashion typically reserved for playoff games. The socials were buzzing as the best offense was matched up against the best defense. In a league driven by the narratives, big markets, and stars, it was nice to see some shine put onto two elite small market teams.

This is a good template for the NBA going forward as they typically are kings of the retreads when it comes to figuring out where to shine their spotlight. The Cavaliers and Thunder for being as dominant as they have been thus far, it still feels like we are being force-fed the same storylines. Tier listing stars, typical trade deadline buzz, and “Which star wants out next?” are typical topics in the NBA universe.

The league is too off-court-focused when there is elite basketball being played. Instead of playing story time and treating the league like ad-libs, sit down and watch when matchups like the Cavaliers and Thunder are on TV. Those games should be the headlines, not that Jimmy Butler removed all Heat pictures off his Instagram.

The basketball hasn’t gotten worse, it’s that the league’s focus has gotten lost. These results are a reminder of that.