“It’s hard to say if the NBA is hurt by the influx of younger players but it’s definitely impacted the league.” –Michael Jordan

Much like watching “John and Marsha” without Dolphy or a Senate hearing without a bombshell speech from Miriam Defensor-Santiago, LeBron James fans were not prepared to witness the NBA finals without their superstar – a first in nearly a decade. However, his absence may have gone unnoticed in Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, which took place last week at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
After appearing in eight consecutive finals since 2010 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005, James is a spectator.
With James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, it opened the Eastern Conference for another team to advance. The Raptors capitalized on the opportunity and earned their first trip to the finals in franchise history.
USA Today sports reporters Josh Peter and Jeff Zillgitt recently pointed out Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry could not even say James’ name during last Tuesday’s media day.
“I’ve run into one guy for a while,” the player is quoted as saying. “We were given the opportunity—he left—and we beat a really good team in Milwaukee.”
Shaun Livingston, who plays guard for the Golden State Warriors, the team that played James and the Cavaliers in four successive NBA finals, also took a similar tone.
“It’s weird not playing against him,” he said. “For so long, he was the hurdle we had to get over.
“It’s weird being somewhere else other than Cleveland in the finals,” the player added.
Meanwhile, Peter and Zillgitt noticed fans have watched other players make headlines.
“I haven’t thought about it at all to be honest with you,” said NBA legend Charles Barkley, who currently serves as a sports analyst for TNT. “No disrespect to LeBron [but] everybody knows he’s a great player; Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry—their emergence—that, to me, says it all.
“Go back to the beginning of the playoffs,” he continued. “It started with [Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks], the second round had Kawhi and then, you thought Portland had a chance to get to the finals when Kevin Durant [got] hurt, Steph goes crazy.
“There have been some amazing story lines and that’s all I’ve been thinking about,” Barkley added.
James’ absence is also probably forcing the NBA to assess TV ratings, which have dipped.

Viewership is down
According to Numeris, a television and radio ratings firm based in Canada, more than a third of television viewers in Canada tuned into Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals between the Raptors and Bucks. Meanwhile, the 2018-19 NBA season was the most-watched season in Canada. In addition, Game 1 of the NBA finals was the highest-viewed NBA game ever in Canada, with around 3.5 million viewers.
However, while viewership in the US is averaging 3.95 million, it marks a 16 percent drop from 2018. Nielsen rated Game 1 a 10.1, the lowest finals opener since 2009, down 18 percent from last year’s Game 1.
There are other factors responsible for the ratings drop—it cannot all be attributed to a lack of Lebron James.
Nielsen is unable to count the Raptor’s home market since they are based in Canada; last year’s Eastern Conference finals featured Boston, which is the US’s ninth-largest media market, against James’ Cleveland, the 19th; and the Western Conference finals ended with the Warriors sweeping the Portland Trailblazers, which is not as compelling as last year’s seven-game series between the Warriors and the Houston Rockets.
“We’re very happy with where we are,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told WFAN radio host Mike Francesa.
“We miss LeBron,” he added. “The good news is he’s not gone, he had a (groin) injury, the team struggled, and, my sense is, he’ll be back in top form next season.”
However, Peter and Zillgitt, believe there is no evidence James and the Lakers will reach the finals anytime soon. This leaves the NBA waiting to measure the impact of a new and indefinite reality: NBA finals without LeBron James.

***
Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ