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OK, it's not SMU. And on the whole, the NBA finals were an embarrassing display of "basketball."

However, did anyone else watch last night's final (thank goodness) game? WHAT WAS THAT AT HALFTIME? 15 minutes of movie reviews and some kind of music video -- followed by 30 seconds of actual basketball discussion/analysis? The game had the chance to be (and was) the last game of the year! And they had some dipstick from The Morning Show or something previewing summer movies? Then he and Mike Tirico sat there with "Hulk Hands" on? Could they sell out just a little more?

I realize the ratings for this series were (rightfully) the lowest they'd been in years. Therefore, I guess the network was forced to completely sell out to the production company, so it wouldn't pull its ads.

Whatever the reason, that was absolutely disgusting. I was tired of hearing Bill Walton slobber through the game, and actually was looking forward to some pseudo-intelligent hoops talk from Mike Tirico, Sean Elliott and Tom Tolbert -- and we got movie previews from some clown who looked like he did Captain Kangaroo impersonations at car dealer openings. ABC should be ashamed. a

Glad you mentioned that - it was the worst display of commercial broadcasting I've ever seen. That halftime charade turned the NBA Finals into a NASCAR race, where corporate sponsorship rules everything. The network made a complete mockery of the event.

The NBA game is a mess. They need to play by collge rules. Would be a much better game. Travelling might even be called.

Ha! Can you imagine how much whining you'd hear if Tracy McGrady or Kobe Bryant or Err Jordan (after he un-retires for the umpteenth time) actually got called for travelling? Next thing you know, Iverson would get called for carrying the ball on that crossover of his. Or Shaq might get called for an offensive foul when he hip-checks some mere 280-pounder into the mezzanine.

Whoever scheduled that halftime show should be fired. That was hideous.

actually the NBA Rule Changes this year made it a much better brand of Basketball-the Dallas Mavericks play the style of Basketball for example that is more more fun to watch. This is the first season in years that I could even bear to watch an NBA game. The Nets and Spurs just don't play that style and yet they were the most successful.

As for the rule changes, I'd say it will be a few years before we'll know. Dallas, certainly Sacramento and sometimes Portland are extremely entertaining. The rest of the league is still painful to watch.

By the way, I heard on the radio that the reason ABC shoved that movie review segment down our throats at halftime was because they had promised movie-making advertisers certain ratings in the early games of the series - ratings which didn't materialize. Therefore, in an effort to make good on their contract and not lose their ad revenue, they sold out completely and tried to go Siskel & Ebert on us.

I can't stand the NBA game. The goal is to dunk the ball and there is no such thing as traveling, palming, carrying the ball and such. Makes for a boring game to me.

College is much more entertaining.