More Excited Than Ever, San Antonio Lands High National TV Ratings for NBA Finals
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Anticipation is at an all-time high for San Antonio Spurs fans.
After winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select French big man Victor Wembanyama, the excitement surrounding Spurs basketball is beginning to return with every passing day, especially as the draft draws nearer.
It may not be at the level it was when San Antonio's big-three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were dominating the Western Conference, but it certainly is trending in that direction.
Following Game 1 of the NBA Finals, TV ratings were released depicting the top five local markets around the country. To no surprise, Denver and Miami held the top two spots, as their respective teams were the ones playing, but rounding out the top five was San Antonio — a city whose team didn't even make the playoffs.
TV ratings are determined by calculating the amount of HUT (homes using television) and multiplying it by the SHARE rate, or the percentage of those homes who are tuned to a particular program.
Naturally, homes in Denver and Miami — calculated at 19.9 and 13.5, respectively —were more tuned into the Finals than anywhere else in the country, with Denver holding a significant lead likely due to the absence of a championship series victory in its franchise's history, but why San Antonio?
What do Spurs fans have to gain from watching the NBA Finals?
One can only speculate that it has to do with the impending arrival of Victor Wembanyama. Perhaps the excitement surrounding the Finals gives hope to the city and its fans regarding their chances of seeing their own team in the series in coming years.
It could even be that San Antonio fans are rooting for the Heat to win, giving other teams — especially the Spurs — an example of how the Nuggets aren't as invincible as they appear to be.
Don't count out the fact that Spurs faithful may be sizing up the Nuggets ahead of Wembanyama's rookie season. They could see the 7-4 center as a Jokic's kryptonite, or at least Jokic's successor in the West.
Either way, Spurs basketball is set to be heading in the right direction next season, as long as Wembanyama remains healthy and plays the way he has been. But even without him being on the team, the idea of adding him is enough to bring excitement to a city that hasn't had much to be excited about sports-wise.
Wembanyama is likely to be the next San Antonio Spur on Thursday, June 22 during the NBA Draft. Coverage from Barclays Center in Brooklyn will begin at 7 p.m. CST.
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