Stern defends late start times

Stern's comment on kids is so stupid. They aren't going to wake up early and watch the game on TiVO - in that case they might as well just stay up late. It's stupid to have all the game start at 9, especially the Sunday games.

It's all about advertising money, they don't care about the fan base.

Forget kids, what about adults? Don't people have jobs? Even 8:30 start times I could barely make it to the end of the games, now I'll have to miss the entire 4th quarter of EVERY FINALS GAME! How do the ratings go up on the east coast when (I'm assuming) a large percentage of the population are unable to stay up until 11:45-12:15 at night?

I don't know who "they" are, but everyone I speak to is disgusted by the late starts. It's all about the $$$ from the advertiser's, not about the fans. If that's the way the NBA feels then let the sponsor's buy all the merchandise and tune it to watch their own commercials...I won't be doing either.

With such a history between these two teams you would think the NBA would realize this is a great opportunity to jump start interest in their game. It's an opportunity to bring in the casual fan, but the casual fan isn't going to be staying up until mid-night, or later...and again, neither am I...I'm not "they" and I'm disgusted...

Every interest but the fan's and the player's is served. Does any athlete want to play at 9 or 10 PM? Does anyone from the East Coast really want to watch past midnight? And how can the Commissioner with a straight face say that people can "TIVO" the game if they have concerns - maybe everyone should & skip the commercials. I'm sure the advertisers would start pushing for an earlier start immediately!

One more reason the NBA is on a downward slide. Customer service means the moneyed interests are served first.

How could Stern fine Pierce for the "blood, sweat, and tears" gang sign when he is clearly doing it right there to reporters......oh David Stern

Sounds like the "Commish" counts $$$$s in his sleep instead of sheep - and he counts them until 10:30AM when he wakes up. He talks about kids being able to run Tivo. Well ... surprise, surprise, grownups can run Tivo, too.

I think it's foolish for the networks to believe this "Dream Finals Showdown" will draw the largest audiences with a 9:07 tip-off! The hometown fans won't be tuning in much after 11:00 (not to even mention the future generation of NBA fans completely shutout!). Boston should be one of the biggest markets turning on ABC for the games as both a participant and the size of its TV market. I believe it would serve the Eastern Region most by listening to the games on radio and sticking it back to the big TV networks if the #6 (I believe) TV market (and arguably a top 2 or 3 sports market) don't tune in to their broadcasts! David Stern must have some of the same advisors that Hilary Clinton used to her lose the Democratic Nomination.

Let's face it Stern is catering to the West Coast fans cause Kobe is the Golden boy of the NBA. He has no concern for the rest of the league nor for the fans. All he cares about is the almighty dollar. This is why the NFL Fan base keeps growing and the NBA's keeps shrinking. David Stern needs to walk away from the league and let someone who understands the fan take over.

"They'll have a chance to see it when they wake up."

Right, because it's not a problem to wake up at 5 am to watch basketball before leaving for school at 7. Good plan for a 10 year-old. Or a 24 year-old for that matter.

The late starts are total BS. Yes, because of the time zone problems, one coast of the country will suffer to benefit the other coast.

Having said that, isn't it better to miss the first part of the game then the last part of the game? In a perfect world, you see the WHOLE game.

In a country with so many time zones, however, compromises must be made. I think the West Coast could live with NOT seeing the very beginnings of the games rather than the East Coast missing the crucial ENDINGS of games.

This is sports, not a movie of the week. You can't TIVO it and get the same "feel" of a live event. The results will be all around you the moment you wake up...the news, the internet, etc.

And, yes, it's not just kids. I'm 50 years old, and I have to get up at 5:30am every morning to go to work. It's absolutely ridiculous to have thes games END at such late hours.

"...those kids (know how to operate) at TIVO, so they'll get a chance to look at it when they get up."

True. And they also know how to Fast Forward through the commercials which I'm sure the advertisers will love.

Although I don't agree and would like to have tip-off be at 7:00pm est for my own selfish reasons. You can't look at the situation from a strictly east coast standpoint. The NBA is certainly looking to make the most ad dollars possible and true there may be a slight ratings decrease on the east coast because of the late start, it is most likely outweighed by ratings increases in the other time zones. Personally I just will not watch until there is a deciding game on the line as I work 2 jobs and rise early in the AM, but obviously money drives it all and they have research that tells them that having games start at 9 advertisers will pay the highest amount to be on during the games because thats when the most people will be watching. Just like any other business they are trying to maximize their profits.

yeesh...these games won't be ending much later than Redsox playoffs games and somehow we survived a little lost sleep for the Sox. It's a time zone issue, even with these "late" start times fans on the West Coast will miss a large chunk of the games because of how early they start. If games were starting here at 6:00, or earlier, plenty of people would be whining about how they are missing part of the game while stuck in traffic on the way home from work. People act like staying up until midnight for a couple of nights is going to ruin their lives. We are lucky they don't start the games in LA at 8 or 9 their time or most of you wouldn't see a minute of the road games. No wonder the rest of the country thinks East Coast sports fans are a bunch of self-centered whiny brats. These decisions are made to draw the most viewers across the country and not just in our market.

All that being said I do agree that starting the Sunday games that late is kinda dumb since there aren't the usually work week conflicts.

When Stern is in town for some of the games, and you know he will be, fans at the Garden should let him know exactly how we feel about his feeble excuses and comments. He must truly think we are stupid. I can't imagine they would have less of an audience if they were to change the weeknight times by an hour or so and weekend games to a 6:00 PM start time. The people in LA LA land will just have to leave the beach a little earlier. When Stern is in town the media, TV, radio and print should come out strong expressing our feelings. Maybe WEEI will step to the plate(or foul line) and hand out those signs you see at so many games with a message like "Boston fans want to watch the games too" The problem is it's the Celts and Lakers...again. I don't know about you but I will most likely take a nap an hour or so before the game so I don't miss a single minute:) GO CELTS!!!

Why not start the games in Boston at 8:00pm and the games in LA at 9:00pm EST as a compromise? Also, there is no good reason why the Sunday games can't all start at 8:00pm EST.

This is actually quite a simple solution. The networks tell their advertisers and Stern that the most number of viewers will watch with a 9PM start. We complain, but what do we do? We watch it anyway. Neilson reports high viewership, the network is proven right, and the advertisers and NBA insist on doing this again next time. Here's a wacky idea - DON'T WATCH. If we don't watch, yes we suffer a little by not seeing this game live, but I guarantee you when the numbers show that people won't watch a late game, the network will move it. If the numbers showed people would watch a half hour of nothing but a dog licking himself, they'd put it in prime-time in a heartbeat and sell every second of commercial space too. Quite whining and do something - take back control!

stern has been out of touch with reality for a long time. his only worth in the last some odd years has been washing the nba of it's thug image. other than that the man is a complete idiot. money man stern.

Have the left coast poeple TIVO the game and start watching it in progress, then catch up and see the ending live.

But then they aren't watching the ads either.......

isn't it all just about MONEY!!!!!!!!!!

if they start the games at 8 there wouldn't be any problem here...West Coasters can TiVo the game before they leave for work, come home at like 5:30, watch the game, fast forward through the commercials and be caught up by the half...meanwhile East Coasters can watch the whole game, go to bed at a decent hour, and not have to wake up at the asscrack of dawn to watch the fourth quarter...

Everybody that I know that has NOT watched basketball is now interested in this Final Series, mainly because of the the Celtics / Lakers match up. This is an enormous opportunity to make some new fans and bring back some old ones. Now that will be ruined by something by as lame as airing times. I can not see people staying up till 12 - 12:30 to watch these games. It's sad and insulting.

Is it personal? Is he that mad at Paul Pierce for flashing his "gang sign"? Because this makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

I was pretty young the last time the Celtics played the Lakers in the Finals but I remember watching those games with my dad. Anybody remember what time they were on?

David Stern, there is no logic behind these scheduled game times.

Please people, quit complaining. You don't have to watch the games if you don't want to. It is free and you can enjoy it from the comfort of your living room. Yeah, it is a little late, but if you want to watch sports history is an hour of lost sleep worth crying about?

What a joke! The Sunday games should at least be at 8pm!!!!

Come on Stern, who do you think you are kidding?
Your morals have the stench of a skunk and you typify what is wrong with the low life's running TV, Hollywood and big US business. Our kids cannot see the NBA finals because they don't buy enough products. Even a Sunday game is on late. And on the few occassions when the kids did manage to see a play-off game, they were subjected to graphic and violent ads that were utterly inappropriate for games played at 3:30 in the afternoon. Stern, you may have bags of money and influence, but your morals are in the gutter. And conscience, your kind don't ever have a worry.

Fans don't matter, only network money! Stern has lost touch with reality; his comments are an insult to the paying fan base. KG's comments about watching basketball as a kid will be lost on this generation's children, who are being left out by stern and his network idiots. Stop listening to the network big wigs and start listening to the fans. 9:07 is an insult to all of us living on the east coast. My children are die hard celtic's fans and are being left out purposely by stern and the money grabbers. Shame on them!

Bottomline is you have to include the west coast viewers. I live in Phoenix now, If Celtics started at 8 eastern or earlier, by the time people get home from work they are going to miss the first half. I agree it sucks for the kids, but everyone has been there before, thats life.

So, even the weekend games have 9:00pm start times? That ridiculous. I've got the perfect solution. They can stick it. I'll read about it in the morning.

Bottomline is you have to include the west coast viewers. I live in Phoenix now, If Celtics started at 8 eastern or earlier, by the time people get home from work they are going to miss the first half. I agree it sucks for the kids, but everyone has been there before, thats life.

Good point Matt (post #10). I'd much rather be able to see the end of the game than the beginning. I have to get up at 5 every morning so staying up till midnight or later just isn't an option for me, nor is getting up early to watch it on my TiVo.

Good points by all that watching on TiVo usually means fast-forwarding the ads.

Stern is a moron.

The thing about the tivo, to watch the game the following morning.... der. If a person is going to tivo something like a sporting event (which they probably won't) they're going to watch it the following evening, at a reasonable hour, like around the 8 pm hour. Not when they are trying to get to school or work. what a ding-dong.

I suppose we shouldn't think of this only from an east coast point of view, but the same can be said for those living in LA, why should we think of it exclusively from a west coast point of view? Seems like if we started the games at 8.00, then we've compromised (since they still won't end before midnight) and they've compromised with the games starting at drive time.

TiVO must love David Stern's comments, advertisers must be shaking their heads; he has just provided a great reason to skip through boring, mind-numbing repetitive ads... way to go commish! Aside from that, with the time zone issues... why not start Boston games at 7: PM and LA games at 10:00 PM? Fans in each city will be afforded the best viewing times, and advertisers will benefit from many households not tuning out through TiVO... and one other issue. While Kobe may be Stern's 'Golden Boy', he raped and assaulted a woman, and got off because of his entourage and attorney 'buying' her off through a monetary settlement and buying his wife a huge ring... shame on Bryant, on the league, the commisioner. Rape is rape. And he did it... but got off.

Stern doesn't know why the Super Bowl does well earlier?? Isn't it maybe because it's Sunday, not a weekday?

I'm on the west coast now, and I can tell you there's a HUGE difference between 5 and 6pm. If it starts at 5, by the time I get home I feel like it's almost not worth watching. Except of course if it involves the Pats, Sox or Cs.

Please...they know we'll stay up...Who is going to bed before the 4th quarter???

I hear both sides of this debate, but really, is there some reason they had to skip Friday or Saturday games? Would the West Coast object to ONE game at a time when everyone could watch! Totally clueless.
You can tell by his answers that he has no idea or didn't plan this through very well. Any chance we can get them to change?

What time do you want the games to start? Speaking as a West Coaster, why should I have to leave work early to watch the game just so East Coasters can sleep at a reasonable hour? I think the 6:07 PST time is perfect.

I just don't see how a casual NBA fan on the East Coast is going to stay up late to watch these games. I'm a Celts fan, and there's no way I'm staying up to watch all these games. I've got two jobs and a family, and I'm usually ready for bed at 9. I managed to watch two entire games in the Pistons series. I know I'm just one person, but I can't imagine I'm in the minority here. I've got two guys in my office who are sports fans, and they've hardly watched a minute of the playoffs because of the late start times. Yet the NBA is catering to the West Coast fans who show up late for Lakers games and who leave Dodgers games by the 6th inning.

That suck for the east coast,but lucky for us mountain timezone people.
7:07 tip off .YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO CELTICS!

That suck for the east coast,but lucky for us mountain timezone people.
7:07 tip off .YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO CELTICS!

Screw Stern and the NBA this set of eyes will not be watching. I used to be a huge NBA fan but not anymore I still keep a passing interest in the Celtics but there is now way I will stay up and watch the product the NBA puts out these days. I am one casual fan they just lost.

Stern is a dope and must be hanging around with the guy from the NHL Bettman to much.

Wow what a bunch of cry babies. For a few weeks you get a little less sleep- The CELTICS ARE PLAYING FOR THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP! I thought the last thing on anyones mind would be the start time.

I'm even more shocked to hear that the locals wont be tuning in during the 4th quarter. I mean, why dont you guys/gals stick to baseball- you're making us Celtic fans sound stupid.

Short term profits only. Long term investment in fans - a horrible decision. Let the left coasters start watching at 4 or 5. If it works for the playoffs it works for the finals.

Hey George, I guess you don't have kids that would like to watch the game or you don't have to wake up off your park bench and beg for money until the afternoon commute.... SOme of us get up at 5AM everyday.

I can understand the time during the week to help out the west coast but they can move it earlier on weekends....

Hey it works for us out here on the West Coast........GO LAKERS!

George, what time do you have to get up. Don't be a [jerk]. Nobody's crying. But those of us who have to be up at 5 am are not going to be able to watch the whole game. That is just wrong.

Wednesday and (especially) Friday night are NBA nights in my book. Have been all year long. Why, then are there no games on Wednesday and Friday nights?

Start early Wednesday: 8pm (5pm West Coast).

Late game Friday: 9pm (6pm West Coast)

Sunday afternoon: 5pm (2pm West Coast)

David Stern is full of bull. The bottom line is the almighty dollar, not the fans. West Coast fans have nothing to complain about. But East Coast fans are getting screwed. I am not a huge basketball fans, but I watched the playoffs up until now. Having the Celtics in the playoffs brings back the good old days. And the best part is we are playing the Lakers for the Championship. I will NOT be staying up until midnight. I do have a job and get up at 5am every day. I will not tape it. Watching a game after you know the results is no fun. There should have been a game on Saturday night. This doesn't have to be a 2 week deal. I'm not sure how the advertisers are helped by the late start when many people who would have watched won't be watching because of the 9pm start. I don't stay up for the 10pm Red Sox games and I won't be staying up for the Celts game. Thanks, David Stern, for nothing! Some Commissioner you are.

David Stern - You're a JackA**! Think before you speak. TIVO??!!

You should have scheduled the times fairly for both sides. You're an idiot!

For the TIVO or DVR discussion if you have it there is no need to ever watch a commercial again, I know I don't. Threre are approx. 18-22 minutes of commercials built into a hour long TV show, the few shows I watch on a regular basis like say LOST which comes on at 10pm I set to record then start watching it from the beginning at about 10:20 FF through all the commercials and I still finish watching the show at the same time it is really over. 1:00 Pats game on Sunday, I start watching at 2:00. Get the point! No commercials EVER!

Post # 22, why should we have to get to work late to watch the games, you can at least listen on the radio on the ride home and you did not even mention the weekend games. Sorry to burst your bubble but it's not all about you.

The idiots in the NBA offices could not have figured out a schedule to at least have two games on Saturday night instead of Sunday night?? At least a lot more people would stay up to watch on Saturday night. Maybe they could make it 8:30 instead of 9? Even a half hour would help. What is the most exciting part of an NBA game? The first quarter or the fourth? So what if some west coaters miss part of the first quarter. The TV executives don't care if the kids watch. They know the kids won't watch the commercials anyway and they aren't the ones spending the money.

I have a better idea, don't watch the games on Tivo. Just have coach Belichick tape the Lakers practice for you.

Stern really blew it. By starting games at 8:00 EST, everybody would have won. For the West Coast, people could get updates via the internet for their last hour at work and then listen in their cars on their way home (further juicing internet and radio ad sales) and then they get to watch the entire second half at home!!! At midnight in New England, not so much advertising going on - just a lot of sheep counting. So it's irrefutable then that you maximize the audience at 8:00 EST. Maybe I am missing something, but shouldn't maximium audience translate to maximum advertising?

Sterns just a puppet anyway so just shutup please David..Thank you

I will not be watching the game with a 9:07 pm start time - I'll check out the results on line the next day - and avoid all the commercials in the process! DLW

I can't believe what I'm hearing. We are not the center of the universe. There is an an entire country between both coasts. There are seven games. So you lose a little sleep. a few nights. You're either a fan or you're not.

Soccer fans in this country woke up at crazy times in the middle of the night to watch their teams in the World Cup in Asia in 2002. Japanese fans of Dice-K and the Sox get up in the middle of the night to watch the Sox play "meaningless" regular season games. This is the NBA Championship. We think we're the best fans in the country, and its cry, cry, cry about start times.

I'm really glad y'all don't have tickets--the only people who should be in the stands should be crazy maniacs who are going to scream their lungs out, not this bunch.

I will not be watching the game with a 9:07 pm start time - I'll check out the results on line the next day - and avoid all the commercials in the process!

Lot's of great feedback! I do agree the Commish is totally clueless and out of touch with todays youth/fan base in regards to their viewing habits. This is totally about the money in regards to primetime advertising. They could care less if you stay up past 11:00 because they know a large majority of fans will tune-in to view the game during primetime, hence the 9 p.m. start.

Whatever happend to the Saturday/Sunday afternoon games -- Oh the good'ole days! This would allow more social gatherings at sportsbars and homes alike -- oh we can just tivo the game an all watch it together later.

As for me, I'll try my darndest to stick it through to the end of each game, but a power nap will be required at halftime and hopefully I'll awake in time to catch the 4th Quarter! Cheers & Go Celtics!!!

No big deal. It's the FInals. Be a fan and sacrifice a little sleep for one night. You'll survive on 6 hours. The games are all spaced 3 days apart!

Besides, what about the Lakers fans in LA? If the game is at 8, they'd be still in their offices at 5 PM EST.

People LA is a bigger market than Boston. Do i need to say more. The NBA is following the money and the Sun. It's a Championship game if you a true fan you'll be up at 3:00 AM watching the game. Do you remember the FIFA games in Germany. I was up at 4:00 AM watching Team USA and Team Brazil played. It's a business if Stern was counting on the "fans" to make money the NBA will be one step closer to his cousin Bear Stearns.

Adler

I am sure it is all about money and not the fans like he is trying to spin the story. Everyone on the east coast needs to turn off their TV and then enjoy the reaction..... next year the game would be earlier even if it could be two West Coast teams.

Heres How to Get Back at the NBA
Watch when the Celtics are in the Finals and NEVER watch otherwise

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/04/20/nba-postseason-broadcast-ratings-1987-2007/3413

Look at the HUGE decline in NBA FINALS neilsen ratings from 1987 when they were 24 and in 2007 when they 9.
Under Stern the ratings drop big time. He's doing a poor job & his explanations stink. Nobody watches the Finals if their team isn't in it. If he wants it that way, the ratings will continue to decline.

I can't imagine the ratings will be decent in the East past 10pm. I won't be watching past 10-11pm i have to be at work at 0630 I was hoping i could atleast catch one or 2 of the games in its entiredy on the weekends but no games on Friday or Saturday night and the sunday Game is at 9pm.. good luck Celts i am sorry I won't be able to support and watch you but i have a job to keep.

Anybody even thought about our military overseas like me? I have to stay up till 2 am in England to watch then get up... scratch that stay up and go to work. Get real NBA. 7 :30 star times are perfect 8 at the latest.

So many bad assumptions on the fan base...

- Lots of nerves to say use TIVO (or DVR)! Stern assumes everyone is as well off as he is financially.
- My 2 & 4 year olds aren't fans and I need to be awake to take care of them in the morning. Think about the families who have kids who don't care about watching sports just yet. Were you ever a fan with kids to take care of?
- We're not that stupid. It's all about the money. Just admit it.

In general, die hard fans will watch regardless of the time. Just think Red Sox world series... how much did that affect the work force the following morning every single late game they had.

I really don't have that big an issue with the start time. Either coast will be pissed no matter what you do. My biggest problem is that there are no games on Friday or Saturday night. That would eliminate some of the problem right there. Each of the Sunday games should be Saturday night. That way, the late start is not an issue for 2 of the 7 game (plus, you put the two day layoff when you are traveling from one coast to the other, not in between games at the same city).

the game two and five late starts are practically unbelievable - I guess Stern is scared of going head to head with golf and NASCAR - I have nothing gainst golf OR nascar - nothing at all - but there are a lot of sports fans out there that do not think of those sports as being the kind that are best enjoyed as a TV spectator - this decision shows TOTAL disrespect for anyone who works for a living - there are millions upon millions of persons who have supported the NBA by watching in the past who happen to have to be at work on Monday morning - this is disgusting

I agree. Scheduling games on Friday or Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons would have provided opportunities to compromise the time zones and make the Finals watchable by more fans including young kids and support the need for the rest of us to get to work. I'll go to the games, I wouldn't miss them for the world, but that doesn't make it ok for the schedule to be thoughtless towards the fans.

Pam

The NBA is cannabilizing an entire generation of basketball fans. You and I became fans of the NBA by watching the epic Laker/Celtics battles in the 80's. Would you be such a fan (or a fan at all) if you hadn't been exposed to that? My kids won't see one minute of these games coming up. And that will, from a generational perspective, show up in demand for the NBA product 5-10 years down the road. But hey, Mr. Stern will be enjoying his rediculous retirement bonus at that point. The next commish will have to deal with dwindling demand for the NBA product. Oh and at the point, they'll be four teams in China or Europe and we'll have to get up at 3AM ET to watch LeBron Jr. take on the the Red Dragons in the finals. Pathetic. All about the money.

There is no arguing that this schedule for the Finals is ridiculous. Stern said this format will maximize viewership. That will probably be true because east cost fans are actually TRUE, diehard fans that will sacrifice to watch games. My recommendation is for everyone to channel surf during commercials and timeouts. I don't know about everyone else but I've become quite a pro at jumping channels to avoid mind-numbing advertizing.

Most of the posts on here are absolutely hilarious. OF COURSE THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING IS!!!!!!!!!!! All I see here is a bunch of cry babies whining about staying up too late. Well then let me vent a little too. I don't want to listen to the game on my drive home. I want to watch it. 6pm works for me. If you were true fans you really wouldn't care either. I can't wait to see you really cry when the Lakers dominate the Celtics.

For a guy that's supposed to be so smart, Stern seems to say "I don't know" an awful lot......

STERN SHOULD JUST COME OUT AND SAY HE'S TRYING TO ALLOW THE WESTIES TO GET HOME FOR THE GAME RATHER THAN PLAYING GAMES WITH US. AS FOR SUNDAY GAMES, 9:00 AT NIGHT IS NONSENSE. MAYBE HE LET THE REFS HE HIRED MAKE THE DECISIONS

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WHINE, WHINE, WHINE - You "East Coast Crybabies".

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Stern is an absolute dope who makes no sense at all.

So NBA will receive more money from advertisers by having later games, but then Stern encourages fans to Tivo/DVr games where they will most likely skip commercials. This is a disservice to the fans and advertisers. Great job Stern!

WHAAAAAAAAA!!!

Every year it's the same crying about start times. The kids are almost out of school; if they want to watch, they can. The adults are just going to have to suck it up -- or read what happened in the morning papers.

Worry about something that actually matters for a change.

I'm retired and still can't stay up 'til 12:30 to watch a game. I don't watch the Red Sox , when they're on the west coast, past the 5th inning and I won't watch the Celts beyond the 3rd quarter. The T.V. moguls are really p-----ing me off. Stern is really p-----ing me off. We buy cable or satellite service, ante up for pay-per-view events, still have to listen to those inane commercials., and ,with all that, we still get no respect or satisfaction.
I'm sure this will change everything. Oh, well, I feel better anyway

There is no sense to watch a sport game that had already been played. No joy! No Fun! No Drama! I don't need to waste 3 hours to watch something that I have already know the outcome. TIVO-ing a movie or a show is good but not sports.

Here is an idea:

Start the weekday games at 8:00 PM.

West coast fans will miss the 1st quarter at most, and they can just listen to it on the radio when they drive home anyways. East coast fans will be able to go to sleep by 11/11:30.

Stern, here is a hint if you don't know why the NFL starts the superbowl at 6:30. Get out your rolodex and call Goddell, maybe ask him? Could be a start?

If the networks told Stern that ratings would go through the roof if he jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would he do it? Clearly he doesn't care about the sport or the fans, just the revenue streams -

I swear some of you east coast [people] whining about the start times are so self centered. What's easier, stay up one hour later or asking your boss to leave work an hour earlier? Obviously you guys dont understand that the vast majority of people who work on the west coast in metro areas commute a distance, so that means 30-45 min drive home at least.

bunch of babies.. for a few games you will sleep a little less. big deal.. stop crying. if your really a celtics fan then you will watch the whole game.

This whole no Friday or Saturday night games is kind of BS. Those would have been good nights for late games and allows you the opportunity to get a little boozed up during the games.

Other than that, I think a good compromise would be to have the games in Boston start at 8, games in LA start at 9 and, and all Sunday games start at 6. By doing this, I believe only two games would be late games for us on the east coast. But hey, David Stern is a smart man, right?

Stern was drunk? :P

I guess the NBA is what it is, a league looking for a way to finish behind hockey in popularity. East coast kids won't be able to watch any games. Any adult on the east coast that has to get up between 5 and 7 AM will have a difficult time watching more than the first quarter of any given game. I love my Celtics but I love my job more. Like comment number 74 said, "Great job Stern! " Just when the league stopped looking like a bunch of gang bangers, you manage to keep the games away from working fans and kids. Great job!

Ever wonder why there is no way to contact David Stern and the NBA offices. Try finding them on the internet. Stern does not want to hear from the fans. He should have done the right thing and had the networks put these games on earlier. I do hope the Celtics fans get on him at the Garden. I also wish that the Celtics had pushed Stern more on this. I truly think Wyc understands and appreciates the fans. I wish he would have asserted his will more. But hey, maybe they will get the point and when the Celts defend their title next year, the Finals WILL be on earlier!!

"Actually, when you ask kids about their fandom, the NBA is generating as many if not more fans among youths than any other sport, that's the reality," said Stern. "They're not watching TV in a significant way either, they're absorbing us in other ways. I can't even explain it because I don't live it, but we're doing great amongst those kids..."

That is an idiotic statement. It translates to "We don't care if kids can't watch the games. We're still selling making a lot of money off them on jackets and caps and stuff, and that's what matters."

As a recent transplant from Boston to LA (and still a Celtics fan of course), it pains me to hear these asinine, whiny comments from fans in my hometown. Are you so narrowly focused in your own little world that you don't realize the other team lives in a time zone that is three hours earlier? As someone with a real job in LA, I typically don't get home until 7pm PST. So games should start at 4pm PST so your kids won't have to stay up until midnight? too bad! it's called compromise, and a 9pm start is not perfect for either coast. I DO miss the beginning of the games anyway! Get out of your Boston blinders and realize there's the rest of the world to consider.
Now for Sunday games, or not having games on Friday or Saturday - I can't argue that one.

Stern is a jerk, another money-grubbing, Hollywood-loving puppet - but he hangs out with Bud Selig.
I'll watch and my productivity at work will go down and I will be certain NOT to use any of the products or companies advertised, because in a rough economy, if we all do this, it makes a point.

Let me get this straight: the NBA is concerned about making money??? Dear God, someone call CNN. Is the Boston Herald covering this??? We need to get an investigation into why the NBA won't bend down to the huge number of fans who want to watch these games, and be in bed by 10pm EST.

Seriously, this thread could be held up as example A of East Coast myopia. One of the comments said an 8pm EST tip would be a fair compromise because the game will end early enough for the sleepytime on the East Coast and people in the West would miss the beginning of the game because of work. Dude, that's not a compromise! People HAVE to be at work, try telling the boss I got to go because of sports. People need sleep, but you won't be fired from life for missing a few hours every three days. Geez!

that MOFO is a jackass

So we all understand the weekday excuse for the 9:00PM start. How lame is the Sunday start time, on the 3rd day no less. Wouldn’t a 3 day be better served when they are traveling coast to coast ? These TV executives are a deceiving bunch. They didn’t want to overlap and compete with a NASCAR event on Saturday at 7:00PM. No coincidence NASCAR is on ESPN when ABC and ESPN are one in the same. Stern is such a puppet to these executives and he doesn’t have the nuts to challenge them on their numbers.

Stern is not an idiot...he does however seem to be losing touch and doesn't seem to care anymore. He does not seem prepared to answer any tough questions with conviction...he just tries to slough them off as meaningless or gives questionable answers, an indication of apathy....

The only answer is to not watch the product as that is what he and the advertisers will listen to...nothing else!!!

I see the Red Sox moved the starting time to accomodate Celtics fans...way to go SOX!

You could boycott watching the game , but they know you won’t. So to get to the root of this problem then you would need to boycott the products that are advertised for this ad revenue they are after. Unfortunately that would have no bearing on the endless pharmaceutical ads for various male enhancement products. In fact this start time probably has more to do with Viagra than kids.

LOL @ #26 & 75: "I'll just read about it in the morning." You gusy probably don't even watch basketball or the Celtics to begin with anyway -- why are you even whining? If you Celtics "fans" can't stay up an hour or so later to witness sports history in the making, you aren't a real fan. 21 years....TWENTY ONE YEARS since your team has been to the Finals. How many players have lost countless hours of sleep to even get to this point -- you're whing about an hour or two of lost sleep. It's not even about sensitivity or understanding -- anybody who's complaining isn't a true fan and shouldn't even be watching anyway. And why are you complaining about Sunday -- don't you people have to work on Monday as well? WOW people. WOW.

So what Stern is saying is screw the celtic fans. I would have watched the games if they were earlier. Instead of promoting the NBA his is saying to hell with the East coast. Way to go dummy.

To all you idiots who have not realized, school is over so don't worry about the kids.

People who probably wouldn't have watched anyway are complaining now. No one has watched for years & yet they still want to complain now.

Of Stern course Stern cares about money. That's his job. He wanted Celtics vs. Lakers for monetary reasons all along... but I gues you all are just now figuring that out as well.

to poster #95, don't know where you live but school is not over for kids in the boston area. Maybe that's true for college students, but for the rest of the kids in public school it ends the 3rd week of June. So maybe you ought to check your facts before you start callilng people idiots.

They could put the games on at 330 in the morning and I would watch. I'm guessing most of the people complaining are all of these bandwagon fans that forgot about the celtics for the last 6 years. Yea it sucks, but oh well. I'm not going to complain...The Celtics are IN THE FINALS!

Advertising dollars are directly proportional to fans, you morons. Advertising dollars go up when ratings go up, and ratings go up when more people watch. Sure they care up the dollars, but in this case, they go hand in hand.

Don't know what al you people are talking about. The games start at 6pm! Oh wait I forgot, the east coast exists! Just like you are forgetting there is a west coast. We want to be able to watch the games too, I usually only get to catch the 2nd quarter and beyond because by the time I get off and get home it is 7-7:30. Stop whining.

School isn't over yet for some.

Who cares its basketball the most overrated sport of the 4. I don't care if it started at 1 in the morning and was played in my own back yard I still would not watch it

I'm from Germany and I could catch the sunday games here because of the earlier scheudle, but now? When games start at 9pm then it's 3am over here. Thank you man, thanks a lot!

David Stern is off his rocker if he expects the fans who want to watch the games to believe we want to watch them at 9 PM on the East. Those of us who have to get up in the morning to provide for our families won't see much of the championships. Good for him L.A. is playing, without that he may not have any viewership. The worst time decision ever made........Can't even get an early game on the weekend....

As a protest to these late starts (especially Sundays), I would suggest that every fan change the channel during commercials. Watch another station every time an ad appears during the game. If this caught on it would remind the NBA and the "Ad Men" who is really in control of the ad $$$. Pass this on to everyone on your email list!!

Ugh, people complaining about the East Coast complianing...look at all you west coasters! "Oh boo-hoo, I'll miss the boring 1st quarter whilst driving my car stuck in traffic". It amounts to the same complaining. You're looking down on east coast fans who have to wake up early and go to work possibly late (my boss would prefer I get in early if I was to leave early....so asking to leave earlier is infinitely better than coming in late...thanks.) You guys are doing the same complaining. How is it crying to ask for some sort of compromise....so your team is playing on the east coast, then follow east coast rules. If the team is playing on the west coast, start it at 9. Seems like a perfectly fair compromise. It seems to work for baseball. And i concur with everyone else...there should be more weekend games at earlier times. West Coast "fans"....please stop giving us crap....you're reaping all the benefits of the finals without any sort of compromise.

This whole argument about ruining it for kids with late start times is bogus. Most kids, of their own volition, don't watch entire games, nor care to. They get their highlights on YouTube or SportsCenter and they're happy with that. Today's NBA has little to do with teams and everything to do with promoting individuals. And it's the individuals that kids relate with. It's a different world. Late start times don't matter to kids. They'd rather be playing a Wii or Nintendo hoops game anyway.

Besides, it's the NBA. For adults, all you need do is figure out about when the 4th quarter is going to end, set your alarm, get up and watch the last five minutes and go back to bed. Wake the kids too if you want.

Hey, does MLB, NASCAR, the NHL and the NFL know about this 9:00 start time being the best spot??? Maybe all sports should have a start time at 9:00, maybe all sports should switch their start times in the regular season to 9:00, maybe TV shows themselves shouldn't start until 9:00. No more Sunday afternoon football, because that's obviously a waste, no more 7:00 starts because people prefer to only sleep 4-5 hours a night. This could be a gold mine for advertisers since it seems everyone prefers this 9:00 time slot. Stern is a genius! Either that or he's totally out of touch with reality...idiot. Since the NBA doesn't need anyone that has to get up early to be a fan, I'll be going to bed after the Sox game.

I hate the NBA! Expansion ruined the game! It's always been about cash and it appears it always will be.

105 Great point Nicole

I never understood or appreciated this rule until I moved to the west coast. If you held the game any earlier, I'd miss out on the first half due to work!!!

WOW!!! I just started getting into the NBA this year. However, no longer. Why would they have a start time at 9:00pm on a Sunday. I no longer watch the NBA.

greedy, greedy, greedy NBA ... shame on you!! 9 pm on Sunday shows an appalling disregard for the fans!!

Here's the letters to the NBA link. Send them your thoughts, and send the link to everyone you know.

http://www.nba.com/webAction?actionId=surveyInitialize&target=/email_us/email_form_041027.jsp&surveyId=1511

My son has not seen one minute of the finals , I have been a die hard celts fan for years and this is my thank you from the NBA ? - not a friday or sat game ? even with the late start I could have kept him up late on the weekend , its a joke - and you mr stern have lost a life long fan of the NBA - good job.

I must say - I am shocked ! Stunned. What happened Kobe? I mean really? What is going on? I expect a major move again this off season for the Lakers. Danny Ainge is really good GM.

Anyhow I hope they did not get tired on the Airflight, that is a LONG trip and you need all the rest in the NBA FINALS.

I am a Big NBA Fan, but I wanted a closer match-up. Poor Lakers. I guess the Refs could not cheat to force a Seventh Game because of the David Stern-Tim Donaghy Scandal? Any ESPN Insights on that one?

I also think perhaps, so it seems, that the Lakers wore "Sede Vacante" Caps or maybe I should (with Richard Williamson) call them"Mente vacante" Baseball hats? I mean really:

http://www.zazzle.com/vatican_baseball_cap_hat-148990466825652270

http://www.zazzle.com/provaticanus

All I know the "Big Three" (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) went to the Vatican in Rome, Italy before the season with Doc Rivers to find a Common Basketball Philosophy, I am not sure what happened there? Anyone know about the Vatican-Roma Camp the Celtics had? I know Kobe's dad owns a team, I think in Milano? Maybe there is some special Latin Tridentine Mass Papal Ritual they attended to bless their Record Season?

Where were all the Hollywood Stars cheering on LA? I mean everyone loves to "jump on" the Hollywood Bandwagon, right? Like for example, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Mike Huckabee, Chuck Norris, Timothy Henneberry, George Michael, Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Don Johnson, Clarence Kelly, Michael Bishop, Marc Anthony, J Lo, Irving "Magic" Johnson, Matthew "The Valid" Parker, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George W. Bush, Vince Young, Michael Vick, T.O., Lefty Cekada, Kenyan West, Britney Spears, Monsignor Georg Gänswein, Sean O'Malley, Bernard Law, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, John McCain, Tony Blair, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Guy Richie, Mon. Bernard Fellay SSPX, Tom Delay, Howard Stern, Tony Armani, Ronald Bryant, Sting, Jose Canseco Bono, Ronnie Brown, Al Gore, Santana, Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Richard Jamison, John Henry, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Anthony Sanborn, Donald Rumsfeld, Solomon Rosenberg, Bob "The Center" Michael, Peter Marcel, Timmy Dimond, Al Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Karl "The Mailman" Malone, "The Worm" Dennis Rodman, James Lefebvre, Tony Romo, Jessica Simpson, Ric Flair, Bill Richardson, Vince McMahon, Joseph Ratzinger, Bob Kraft, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Eddie Murphy, Bobby Thuc, Tom Hanks, Shakira, Paula Abdul, Roberto Gonzalez, Colin Powell, Jerry Lawler, Howard Dean, Dick Cheney, Tony Garcia, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Barker, Jerry Lewis, Regis Philbin, etc.?

I mean really, this was suppose to be the BIG TIME Lakers vs Celtics Rivalry FINALS, and I did not see many Hollywood Stars and other Celebrities at the Boston Garden there,why? Did David Stern and Senator Arlen Specter deny them invitations? Is Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens banned from NBA Games? And how about Sir Charles Barkley (Is he banned for Gambling on Games)? Or is it just traditional pro-forma to have to receive an "Universal Indult", you know, to get into the Front Row Seats?

The crowd booed David Stern, is that Anti-Semitic? I felt weird.

Anyhow, Congrats to Paul Pierce (a LA Boy) -- we all can cheer for him, he is a secret-Lakers fan, I heard from a certain unknown Rafa Erofadaps,

Shhh!

The NBA is Fantastic.

I can't wait for the Olympic Games in China, I hope Kobe Bryant and Yo Ming play.

- Jason "Sede Vacante" McMichaels