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Dead In Five Years!

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/25866-raw-rating

The perfect time to go to three hours.  Obviously it'll have to be John Cena in every segment, plus commercials for his movies, and video packages about him supporting the troops and healing sick children with his magic spinner belt.  

Seriously though, it's getting scary how pushing only one person as meaning anything results in no one caring about the show when he's not on it.  I know the gut reaction from WWE is going to be to re-push all the big names harder than ever, but they really need to do like 97 and go the opposite by pushing the Zigglers and new FCW geeks to hopefully create new stars without baggage and multiple drug violations.  

Comments

  1. Why don't they just start calling the show "RAW Staring John Cena" because that's what it is these days.

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  2. That's the problem, they'll always see "these guys don't get big ratings, drop em!" when they should see "we haven't given anyone reason to care about these guys, make a reason!" In the old days when guys came up with their own characters and did their own promos, the former attitude made perfect sense. But now? They don't seem to know where to go with it.

    Somehow though, it'll never occur to them that such a piss poor rating came the night they had Big Show cut a 15 minute heel promo to start the show. Somehow it'll be Punk's fault.
     

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  3. Won't be long now before they use one of Brock Lesnar's dates to put Cena-Lesnar II on free TV.

    Probably by the first three hour Raw.

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  4. How can you blame this rating on the lack of Cena, when nobody knew that he would not be on this show in advance?

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  5. They're conditioning the crowd not to give a shit about anyone but Cena. 

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  6. If they do that, they'll be setting everyone up for a huge disappointment.  They couldn't come close to risking the blood, gore, and violence we got at Extreme Rules without putting their PG rating in serious jeopardy.

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  7. Yes...and that crowd would have assumed that Cena, whom they give a shit about, would be on the show they were watching.

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  8. I'm going to guess Miz being on the show will be the excuse used.

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  9. How does this compare to other Memorial Day shows in terms of % drop? I would think that its usually a lower rating, not 2.7 low, but lower. 

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  10. Looks like its time for Vince to show up...

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  11. It was Memorial Day in the states, that probably affected the rating. They were also against a highly anticipated Eastern Conference Championship game in basketball with probably two of the most well-known franchises in the NBA. And some crazy ass history channel movie about the hatifelds and mccoys. All very good reasons for them not to kick off the show with a boring as fuck Big Show promo, and end the show with a non-match. 

    Pushing Big Show as the #1 heel in 2012 (wanna feel old, he won his first world title in 1996, before the nWo debuted!) is not going to solve the problem. 

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  12. Me thinks punk is dropping strap?



    Maybe than he can go feud with cena and shoot up the card.

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  13. This is all b/c the Rock took away spots at WM. ;)

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  14. It was only a 60 some-odd days ago that they had huge momentum off WM, Lesnar coming back, the "will he or won't he turn" vibe around Cena, a groundswell of support for Daniel Bryan, a new top guy in Sheamus (regardless of 18 seconds), and a returning Del Rio.

    They really did burn money, didn't they?

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  15. Honestly, I loved the promo he cut, only because it proved what a selfish dick John Cena really is as a character.

    Remember when the Rock staged a walkout in protest of Mick Foley getting fired?

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  16.  I agree, it was a very good promo, it was just too long and Show hadn't built up enough audience equity.

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  17. Hatfields & McCoys along with the playoffs probably did bite into the rating. 18-49 rating for H&M was 3.7 and playoffs were 4.1. Looks like most of Monday's viewers were the kiddos. 

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  18. I know you're joking here, but is that a terribly unfair argument?  I mean, instead of bringing back Rock, what if they had spent the year truly building up CM Punk?  Or Sheamus?  Or Daniel Bryan?  Or Ziggler?  Or Ryder?  Or Christian?  Or whoever.  I think it's almost guaranteed that WrestleMania wouldn't have brought in that huge number, but perhaps the rest of their year would have made up for that.  We're now a couple months away from Mania and Rock hasn't appeared since the night after, and they're in a boat where Cena seemingly CAN'T disappear.

    WrestleMania did great, but Survivor Series didn't meet expectations and ratings with Rock didn't rise.  It's not an unfair point to say that they might be in a better (or at least the same) shape if they had devoted that time to building up a new star.

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  19. Several years of overrelying on the same few stars is why the ratings are declining. Sure, they can throw in Punk or Bryan lately but the same ol'crap and not making any of the feuds interesting is the reason for this. They waste a lot of talent.

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  20. There's good shit going on opposite Raw virtually every week. Hockey and basketball combined draw less than MNF here in the states. WWE could make excuses like this all they want, but the bottom line is that their ratings are slowly becoming a disaster.

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  21. Because the Rock was only one guy in one match. That didn't cost anybody. Take a look at how Ziggler and Rhodes have been treated after catching on fire just a few weeks ago. Or even how R-Truth has been reduced to an idiot smiling babyface again after turning into a ridiculously awesome heel. There's a "stop and go" booking with everyone outside of Cena that kills everyone's ability to get over. NOthing to do with Rock wrestling one match at Wrestlemania.

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  22. Funny thing is, in 20 years people on rspwfaq.com are going to go back and look at the ratings and declare Punk's run a disaster. So not fair.

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  23. Hatfields & McCoy was basically an average Monday Night Football game, when you think about it.

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  24. And they go against MNF and a lineup of new network shows in the fall which, I'm guessing, get higher ratings than those shows combined. WWE can play the ratings competition game all it wants but unless it's opposite the freaking super bowl it's a hollow attempt at justification.

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  25. I think a bigger problem than Rock (and I don't think he was a problem at all) is instead of having Cena feuding with guys who could get a rub and be elevated, he's feuded with Kane, Ace and now Show...not exactly the future.

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  26. There are a million reasons why the rating went so low but I think you HAVE to point the finger at the Big Show turn. Ratings are almost always a reflection of the week prior - Lesnar didnt affect the ratings the night he returned, but he did the following week with the Cena punch angle.

    Likewise, people tuned in last week to see the fallout from the PPV. The fallout was the f'in Big Show getting another "main event" heel push. And people didn't give a shit.

    I think it should be pretty obvious that even the densest mark is BEGGING for some fresh talent in the main event. Cena can/should stay there. But they need to switch it up. I bet they don't drop to a near-15 year low if Dolph Ziggler is getting the Big Show push. Or Zack Ryder. Or Daniel Bryan. Or Christian. Or literally anyone else on the roster that hasn't feuded w/ Cena yet.

    Last point: I think Tensai tanking is a bigger deal than people are making out to be because it's pretty obvious at this point, Cena/Tensai was Plan A for the summer & why they rushed through Lesnar. There was clearly no Plan B.

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  27. You aren't wrong and I also realize that pushing Rock AND pushing somebody else isn't mutually exclusive. My point was more to the effect that they may have been better off, long term, giving one of their full time guys the monster push instead.

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  28. In the main event no less

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  29.  eh, if they had their shit together and put on a good show consistently, it wouldn't matter what was opposite them.

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  30. Seth Mates has been beating that drum on Twitter since January. Although his vitrol was aimed more at Taker/HHH hogging the spotlight.

    Rock/Cena = 1+ million buys
    Taker/HHH = good match, no buys, no impact

    I liked the Taker/HHH match but I can't imagine anyone decided to buy WrestleMania because of that match....Rock/Cena sold the show. They took up like an hour (hmm 18 seconds). And they ate up a ton of Raw TV time during the only month of the year where the WWE gets mainstream attention.

    When 3 out of your 4 top guys (4 out of 5 if you include HBK) at WrestleMania disappear right after the show...what are you telling your fans about the guys who ARE there after the show?

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  31. They're also going to ask things like, "What's the WWE?" and "Who the heck was Johnny Ace?"

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  32. The irony is that the talent is wasted because the WWE fears a guy they'll push gets too popular and pulls another Lesnar/Lashley.

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  33. Gotta love that they're so afraid of somebody "pulling a Lesnar" that it leaves them in a position where they actually have to re-sign Lesnar.

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  34.  Now that I think about it, perhaps that's the real irony.

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  35. Having Rock back wasn't the problem, it's that they didn't CAPITALIZE on having him back - the Cena/Rock match obviously drew a ton of eye-balls, but they didn't use the other 3.5 hours to make Ziggler, Sheamus, Bryan, Cody, or any of the other new guys really look good.

    They DID do the right thing in allowing Punk to look great that night, but since then, he's been another one of their "midcard World champions".

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  36. Anyone watching Celtics-Heat? I'm inconsolable. That was probably the series. Cannot believe that non-call on Rondo. For a team this likeable, this admirable, to go out like that on a non-call...disgusting.

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  37. Gotta boost the ratings by getting LeBron in the Finals.

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  38. I don't know why. LeBron is not that well liked.

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  39. They got the screws put to them. All I hope for is that Boston wins at home to even the series.

    I wonder what new and imaginative ways the refs will screw the Spurs when they play the Heat?

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  40. Shawn's and Bret's runs were remembered fine.

    BAM!

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  41. Because even his haters will tune in to the games just to see him lose.

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  42. Which is really stupid because you'd think (a) they could just retool with a new guy or (b) the added exposure a guy like that would bring back to the WWE.  Hell, who DIDN'T know Brock was a former WWE wrestler when he went to UFC to tried his hand at the NFL?

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  43. Exactly. Spurs-Cavs Finals got horrible ratings. Both recent Celtics-Lakers Finals got crazy ratings, particularly '10. Granted, that's the two marquee franchises in the NBA, one of the greatest rivalries in sports, but I bet Celtics-Spurs gets better ratings than Heat-Spurs. LeBron is the fucking Cena of the NBA.

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  44. I think it would be hilarious that after all the hype that Lebron gets from kids these days, that he never ever gets a championship ring.

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  45. I don't know...I've seen Bret's run referred to as a disaster several times on various wrestling boards, including this one.

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  46. Whew!  We almost blew that game, 18 missed FT?  Really?

    C'mmon, the game didn't hinge on the Rondo play.  There were plenty of calls missed by the refs, as usual in an NBA game, to single that one out.

    Rondo was out of his mind for a dude that doesn't have a jumper.  He won't do that again in this series.  

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  47.  Oh geez, there is no conspiracy.  The Heat are better than the Celtics.  They beat them in 5 last year, destroyed them in game 1 and despite Rondo's career game, beat them again.

    Heat haters are so cliche at this point.

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  48. If there's any justice the Celtics will. Because if they do, they'll win this series in six. LeBron will take his ball and go home. He was ready to tonight, totally disappeared in the fourth quarter and overtime. I just worry about how much the C's have left after tonight, with their age and injuries. At some point, as much guts, toughness, and guile as they have, Father Time catches up to everyone.

    I know everyone in the NBA (except Miami and LA fans) feels this way about their team, but I really feel like Stern's got it in for the Celtics. What was grosser, tonight in overtime, or the fourth quarter of game seven in '10? The better team didn't win either game.

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  49. Guys like Rock, Taker, and HHH, are a big deal precisely *because* they are almost never around.  If The Rock was on every RAW, every Smackdown, every house show, he'd be as played out as The Miz within a year.

    The real fans are the ones watching Cena, Punk, and Sheamus every week.  You're not going to expand the fan base by having guys like Rock and Stone Cold on the show every week...you'll just water them down and make them less likely to draw in casual fans for the annual Wrestlemania party.

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  50. Nah...time for the Triple H vs Miz dream match.  Never before seen on PPV!

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  51. Are you serious? Look, I respect you as a wrestling fan, but you're way off base here. What does last year, or game one have to do with anything? The Heat were up 1-0 on Dallas last year. Did that have any bearing on who was the better team? LeBron's Cavs were up 2-1 on the Celtics in '10, and absolutely destroyed the Celtics in game 3 in Boston. But you don't win anything for that. Because it's not an indication of who who the better team is. I thought it was best-of-seven, not one-and-done, or best-of-three.

    However, when a team goes up 2-0, they win the series 94% percent of the time. So to say that foul didn't matter, tied 105-105, in overtime, with a couple minutes to go, and gave the Heat a 5-on-4 fastbreak that resulted in the go ahead dunk is just plain disingenuous. And Heat haters are cliche because your team represents everything hate-able in professional sports. And you can't chalk it up to jealousy until they, you know, win something.

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  52. Friendly discussion, I like it.

    Lebron was clearly fouled late and instead they called jump ball.  Rondo clearly grabbed around, hit him in the chest, then pulled his arm.  See, I can find fouls that weren't called too.

    The Heat are clearly better than the Celtics and they're short handed.  Everyone forgets Bosh is not even playing. 

    Maybe, if the Celtics wouldn't of blown both a 15 point lead and then a lead late in the 4th, they could've won.  Lets talk about that instead. 

    I'm not sure what the Heat represent that's so hate-able.  If anything, your Celtics are the biggest trash talkers on and off the court and Garnett is widely known to be a dirty player.  This is not up for dispute.

    As for winning something, time will tell.  Lebron just turned 28 and MJ didn't start winning his titles until he was 27.  Too early to say Lebron will never win multiple titles.  He is clearly the best player in the world and even his critics won't deny that point.

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  53. Raw could definitively be better, but it seems like people are just watching less TV in general now that there are so many other ways to get entertainment.

    If you look at weekly cable ratings, even with only 4 million viewers, Raw is usually near (or at) the top of the list. The only cable shows that seem to regularly beat it are Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and important sport games.

    Not many people may be watching RAW these days, but not many people seem to be watching anything else on cable either.

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  54. That's why. It will help to have a good villain in there against the Spurs or Thunder.

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  55. I wouldn't say it was a disaster. Diesel and Shawn's? Now those were disasters.

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  56. Main Event Big Show is the reason I'm not tuning in. I like him, but only in a supporting midcard role.

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  57. Most of those people are trying to argue that big guys draw and that guys like Bret and Shawn shouldn't be champ.  Whatever.

    I think Bret's is looked upon as a success because he propped up the company during its most barren period, and his feud with Austin lead to the attitude era.  In other words, he and Shawn kept the place from falling apart while the company rebuilt.

    Again, only people with a lack of context call Bret's run a failure.

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  58. 2.7 Yesterday.......
    3.7 On October 21st, 2002.

     http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/021021.html

    Just saying.

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  59. To equate that jump ball to the Rondo non-call is, again, totally disingenuous. You don't need to be a hardcore basketball fan (though I am) to recognize that nuance. There's letting guys play in a Conference Final, and then there's ignoring a lariat to the face. Second, I could've just as easily been referring to Wade's flying kick at KG (who admittedly fouled Wade simultaneously). Nonetheless, that was obviously a 50/50 call, which once again went against the Celtics, and had a direct impact on the outcome of the game. There are no memorable examples of these Celtics receiving the benefit of such calls, despite their physical disadvantages, and they've famously suffered from them (see: 4th quarter, game 7, '10 Finals, when the Lakers took more free throws than the Celtics did the entire game). Getting cheated out of wins? This is like babyface 101.

    Speaking of dirty players, Wade was the executor of both wrestling moves, neither of which he was penalized for. You know, that guy who dislocated Rondo's shoulder last year in that 5-game series, in one of the dirtiest plays I've seen since the 80's. But hey, why let the fact that our best player played the rest of that series with one arm get in the way of your assessment that the Heat were obviously the better team.

    Look, this is just me playing tit-for-tat. KG's dirty, and so is Wade. You love them when they're on your team, and hate them when they're not. You might hate them, but you grudgingly respect them. No one loathes the Heat because of Wade. People loathe the Heat because of the other 2/3 of your big three. Bosh is soft as shit for a big man, and LeBron's failures at crunch time are already legendary. Christ, he did it again tonight, and is so lucky you won, lest his legend as a choker grow even larger. And more important than all that is the Cena-syndrome. These guys are pushed down everyone's throats, and most people justifiably feel that they haven't earned it. People don't like that. The Celtics talk trash, but back it up, and people do respect that.

    These Celtics have won a title, and been to another Finals when most people already thought they were done. And now they're making another run, two years after they were already left for dead. Again, gritty, aging, once great, now underdog is babyface 101. Allen and Pierce are two of the best clutch shooters in NBA history, and guys who rise to the moment and want the ball at crunch time. Rondo is clearly cut from the same cloth, in not in the shooting, in the balls department. Pretty much the opposite of LeBron. They're clearly overmatched physically, but win based on guts, toughness, and guile, and those are likeable qualities; respectable qualities. The Heat clearly have every physical advantage, but manage to lose anyway. The Celtics find a way to win, or go down fighting, and LeBron manages to grab defeat from the jaws of victory defeat despite being the favorite. Those are unlikeable qualities, especially when being crammed down everyone's throats. 

    Oh, and Pierce is playing with a sprained MCL, Allen with bone spurs in his anke that'll require surgery, and Avery Bradley's out (not to be downplayed, you as a Heat fan should know that we had so much regular season success against you because Bradley can defend Wade one-on-one). That's why no one's talking about soft as shit Bosh being out. And I'll set the blown leads point aside, because it's completely irrelevant, and nearly betrays you as knowing dick about basketball. It's a game of runs. They happen.105-105 in overtime is when game's are won or lost.

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  60. I hate the Heat as much as anyone, but no conspiracy made Rondo (or was it Allen?) air-ball that 3 with a minute left in OT. That play will be looked on as the defining moment in the series when the Celtics lose. Not that it matters, they're just fighting over who gets to be curb-stomped by the Spurs in the finals.

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  61. Don't worry, he won't.

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  62. Rondo was bombing 3's down the stretch so I don't think it's him you're talking about. Allen air-balled one on the C's last offensive possession, with seconds left--not a minute--and down 4. The game was already long over by then. If you're thinking of KG's, then what made him air-ball it is that he's KG, and a power forward, and a 7-footer, and doesn't shoot fucking 3's. Either way your point is irrelevant.

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  63. Punk has been beating the "ratings don't matter anymore" drum for a while now and I kinda agree with him. Show me a network or showrunner that cares more about ratings than the story, I'll bet 9 times out of 10 that the show sucks. WWE needs to worry more about creative than ratings at this point.

    When the show gets better, the ratings will come. It's not like Raw is going anywhere, so they have some time to fuck around and see what sticks.

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  64. Wrestlemania was just one event, and now Rock is gone. That still leaves them with 11 other months to build new stars. I also think the Survivor Series buyrate did rise 14%, which is still a good increase. 

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  65. "We're now a couple months away from Mania and Rock hasn't appeared since
    the night after, and they're in a boat where Cena seemingly CAN'T
    disappear."

    Oh man, how UNBELIEVABLY fucked would they be if Cena went down with an injury? Never minding that Orton is on suspension and Mysterio is out with an injury AND a suspension.

    They'd probably have to break the emergency glass and have HHH go back full-time. Because they haven't built shit else if Cena goes down. Punk is the perennial 10 O'Clock Champion, Sheamus is only just recovered from the negative reactions he was receiving as a result of the 18 second fiasco at WM, and everyone else fans might want to get behind is either a joke (Santino, Brodus Clay), a jobber (Zack Ryder), or stale as shit (Show, Kane).

    Looking on to WM 29 and recognizing what the top three rumored matches are (Rock/Brock, Taker/Cena, Austin/Punk), I've finally come to realize how low a priority making stars is for them from year-to-year. For two years now, they've put stock in a returning star to save the WM buyrate from WM19 levels (which I still don't get, because the card for WM19 was not only stacked, but it delivered - crummy finishes and time-planning decisions aside).

    This company is going to have to realize, sooner or later, that taking a hit on ratings or buyrates is a necessary inevitability of creating new stars. Use the big stars to put over the new ones, always be grooming guys, and make matches, segments, stories, and TITLES matter. Make consequences real. Give big matches a bigger, longer build. Let feuds and character arcs simmer and progress gradually. You WILL lose viewers. Fewer people will buy the pay-per-views. But you take the hit now so you have new stars if a Cena or Orton goes down or you can't get a Rock or Brock Lesnar to come back and save WM. You need to endure the 1996 to get to your Stone Cold Steve Austin.

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  66.  I'm from NE Ohio. I was a Cavs fan before LeBron, and I'm a Cavs fan now, but LBJ did make it exciting. People who don't live within a 2 hour drive of the US shore of Lake Erie cannot comprehend how heartbreaking being a fan of Cleveland sports has been for so long now. It's not that he left for another team. Free agency, gonna happen. But it was the utterly classless way he did it that will cause everyone outside of South Beach to cheer against him. Last year, Cleveland could have just as easily been called Dallas-lite. I cheered the Mavs like everyone else here, because even if he has the superior ability, LeBron is an inferior human being and does not deserve the right to be called anything positive until he actually wins something. Many folks here in NE OH haven't watched a single nationally-televised NBA game all season. The NBA is not a league of teams, it's a league of individual stars surrounded by a faceless group of passers. It's become a living fantasy league.

    People ask me why I watch wrestling. I would answer that, typically, the right guy would go over. The job would be returned, and for a little while, all would be right with the world. Cleveland people have not known that from their professional sports franchises since 1964. In the span of my lifetime, there was the following:

    The Drive.
    The Fumble.
    Red Right 88.
    Interceptaverde.
    Jose Mesa.
    ART F***ING MODELL.
    Injuries on the Indians to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner.
    18 separate Staph infections on the Browns.
    And now Lebron.

    Every one is a kick in the teeth. And you can go to Youtube and find countless videos from ESPN talking up how Cleveland is "cursed" or some such nonsense. Because this is real life, there will be no "returning the job." LeBron will probably get his ring one day, just like the Ravens won the Super Bowl within 5 years of being created. There's a special circle of Hell reserved for LBJ, Modell, child molesters, and people who talk on cell phones in movie theaters. But we stay loyal. Like the faithful dog that keeps coming back no matter how often he gets kicked or gets his tail pulled, we keep coming back.

    The Browns drafted another quarterback?
    Hafner is having surgery again?
    Cena went over Brock?
    Relax, let it play out, see where it goes...

    And they know we will.

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  67. I need to apologize for that. Dick comment. Obviously my frustration isn't because of you. Sorry, man.

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  68. It bugs me even more that Cena's matches, which aren't for any sort of title, and some of which don't even have consequences, have gone on last at EVERY PPV of the last five months.

    I get that there was absolutely no way not to put Cena vs. Rock last. Ditto Cena vs. Brock (the hometown crowd might have kept the Punk match alive had it gone last, but from what I saw of it as a midcard match, it didn't seem like it until the end). Those decisions certainly made perfect sense. But was there ANY reason on Earth that the Ambulance Match had to close out a show called ELIMINATION CHAMBER?

    You very easily could have put the WWE title match on last at that show, and still sent the fans home happy, since Punk won (sure, you'd have some people pissed that Jericho was evac'd instead of being legitimately beaten, but the face still went over in the end).

    You have to go back to December's TLC PPV for the last time a WWE or World title match closed the show. And that's just fucking ridiculous, even in an age where titles mean almost nothing.

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  69. No need to apologize at all, I knew it wasn't directed at me. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.

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  70.  Why is this happening here...? You could be talking a different language.

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  71. The Spurs were up on a 73 after the New York Celtics took a  rounders ball in the 3rd halved quarter in the Superbowl.

    This is all I hear :)

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  72. although the reason is not "Diesel is not a draw" but "they booked him in such in horrible fashion - getting rid of everything that made him cool in the first place and be the superhero babyface that faces big monster heels all the time - that there was NO WAY his run would ever be a huge success at that time".

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  73. im from cleveland ohio and i fully endorse this post...

    it sucks to be a sports fan in cleveland... and lets talk abt those fucking cleveland steeler fans.

    i hate those fucking people.

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  74. KG's a fair weather Power Forward.

    News Flash: the NBA is fixed. 

    Besides it probably doesn't matter, the Spurs are gonna steamroll either team. 

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  75. I hope Boston wins, but I do agree -- all this talk about ref conspiracies and all that is so old and overplayed at this point.  Boston lost in a fantastic effort -- the refs bungled some calls, but that is going to happen in every game, you can't rely on that to win it for ya.  It sucks that they don't have much of a chance statistically at this point, but if they can take both homes it'll at least be interesting.

    The whole 'everybody hates Miami and especially Lebron' thing is sort of over too.  There will always be the hardcores that feel that way until the day he retires, but his jersey is back to being #1 in the league, he's in every commercial, etc.  Casual fans will follow whoever is the winner anyway, as long as they are marketable and certainly Wade/Lebron are that.

    Having said that, Heat vs Spurs has no appeal to me as a series, Heat/Thunder would be way more intriguing, but I don't see San Antonio not winning this year, no matter how good Lebron and Wade are.  Boston/San Antonio would have been an awesome series, especially a few years ago, but I like those grind-out defensive clinics more than the average guy. 

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  76.  Steeler fans are the absolute worst because the large majority of them are just front-running. While Cleveland fans are loyal to a fault, Steeler fans will jump off the bandwagon in a second. I don't hate the Steelers just because of the rivalry, I hate them for their fanbase, and for the fact that other than Polamalu there isn't a single respectable human being on the roster. For crying out loud, their quarterback, who went to school in Ohio and bashes the state every chance he gets in interviews, is a rapist who got away with it.

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  77. Well, this certainly makes the idea of using PPVs to build RAWs sound even more ridiculous.

    Not that it didn't already sound ridiculous to use a show maybe 200,000 people watch (but pay for) to build a show that several million watch for free.

    One ratings analysis that would be interesting to figure out historically is what % of total viewers RAW is responsible for in a given week (say of the top 20 shows) in an attempt to control for factors such as fluctuation in the amount of viewers per rating point over the years (which has played somewhat of a factor, but is often overestimated), plus the overall reduction in the ratings due to the internet in such.

    They averaged just a little under four million viewers for the show -- good for about 5th and 7th on the night for cable shows, but I imagine at least one of those will slip out of the top-10 for the week.

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  78. Man that is so crushing. A great Wrestlemania and great RAW the next night that really made it feel that things were changing. 

    The weird thing is the PPV's have all been good to great this year. The direness of the product all comes out on RAW especially

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  79. #DeadIn5Years is like a smart mark #SixSeasonsAndAMovie.

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  80.  They all "burned the heat", when the night after Extreme rules Lord Tensai attacked John Cena and Ace declared himself as his opponent for OTL.

    And WHY the heck is John Cena feuding against Johnny Ace and not CM Punk???

    Why not make Punk vs Big Show & Ace as the main feud and John Cena can fight with Daniel Bryan. So the old guys fight against each other and the new guys.

    Welcome to WCW 1998/99...

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  81. Maybe they got a message FROM HE FUUUUUUUTURE!!!!

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  82. 3.4 on Memorisl Day 2011

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  83. You guys have The Miz, too.

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  84. And let's not forget that Cena didn't work the TLC PPV, which might explain why Punk's match went last.

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  85. I don't hate the Heat. Just LeBron. I accepted the Heat winning over the C's. What I hate is media trying to force us to LIKE the Heat and there is something wrong with us if we don't It's like what the WWE does with Cena.

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  86. I don't want to hear any of it. At least you all don't follow a team that's going to draft Harrison Barnes next year, because we missed out on Unibrow.

    I forget what it feels like to watch winning basketball...

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  87. It depends on how the game is called.

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  88. I've always said LeBron should embrace the hate and start doing post-game interviews like a heel Ric Flair.

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  89. ..don't remind him of that. Are you trying to make the guy KILL himself?!?!?!

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  90. unlike. I was a Steeler fan all my life and rode through the hard time. If anything you should be mad at the Ravens.

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  91. I don't understand how the rating reflects whether or not John Cena was on the show, when no one knew John Cena wasn't going to be on the show before it aired or while it was on.  There was no announcement that Cena wasn't going to be on the show.  Scott directly blames the lack of Cena on the low rating, but there have certainly been plenty of times where Cena wasn't announced for anything in particular in advance of the show.  It's just not a logical way of looking at it.

    It was Memorial Day in the U.S., plus NBA playoffs, plus that new Hatfields/McCoys mini-series on History did a 13+ rating.  And this is a known down time of year for WWE.  That's why the rating was low.  Not because something did or didn't happen without advance announcement.

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  92. The Celtics are rather infamous for getting the benefit of one sided officiating in the TD Garden. See: game 2 of the '08 finals, where Leon Powe, a fucking roleplayer, took more FTs than the entire Lakers team combined. Granted, I don't like the Lakers and it's funny seeing them get the wrong-end of the officiating for once, but my point is: Boston gets favorable calls as well. it's the nature of the league today. The Heat isn't some special case. I'd argue that the Thunder are even worse, since they're a jumpshooting team whereas Miami has wing players who aggressively drive to the rim.

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  93. You cannot blame the refs at ALL for Game 7. Blame the Celtics for not showing up in Game 6 and failing to close out a team on the road yet AGAIN, and then completely forgetting how to play basketball in the 4th quarter of Game 7. They kept throwing up terrible shots, and instead of actually playing defense, they just kept trying to draw offensive fouls. Yes, FTs decided the game, but blame the C's for playing like chickens with their heads cut off.

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  94. No way old Stern has it out for the C's.  As a Sixers fan, I just sat through seven games of tremendously biased officiating.  KG committed about 74 fouls in that series.  

    Bottom line is: Stern has it out for the team that is less marketable in the series.

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  95. I don't have time right now to reply With a long post, but let me just say that I'm a stats whore and there's no such thing as clutch. Your eyes lie to you and if you actually look up stats on closing games, you'd be very surprised. You also don't get to choose which fouls are critical and which are not. With that approach, youre being a homer and although I'm a heat fan, I truly try to be an objective basketball fan.

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  96. Christopher HirschMay 31, 2012 at 8:50 AM

    Aren't the Memorial Day shows or Holiday shows in general, always lower rated?

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  97. Well, there's as many media people that hate Lebron as those that like him.  It's not like the media coverage of him has been favorable 100% of the time.

    The funny thing is Lebron is actually very likeable.  He barely does commercials and his interviews are "cliche" to say the least.  He made one mistake, "the decision", which he apologized for.  Aside from that, there's not much too hate imo.  I don't say this just as a Heat fan, when he was in Cleveland, I didn't hate him either.

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  98. Great points.  Miami absolutely needs Bosh back.  They destroyed the Spurs with him this year.  Without him?  Yeah, looks very tough.

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  99. When the product is lousy, yes. But Pawn Stars didnt have a problem. Nor did the NBA. Nor did Hatfield & McCoys.

    http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/30/monday-cable-ratings-nba-conference-finals-hatfields-mccoys-wwe-raw-pawn-stars-single-ladies-basketball-wives-more/136104/

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  100.  I agree i think they are doing Cena-Big Show because Tensai flopped.  If Tensai was over we would have Cena-Tensai through the summer

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  101. STOP IT, STOP IT,  STOP ALL THIS BASKETBALL TALK.

    YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING MY SHOW, AND TWEETING ABOUT IT.

    THAT'S IT, I'M GONNA GO BLOW ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS.

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  102. You absolutely can blame the refs entirely for game 7. The Lakers took 21 free throws in the 4th quarter. The Celtics took 17 all game. I could stop right there, but I won't. This must've been due to the Lakers vastly superior aggression, right? Nope, points in the paint favored LA by only 2, 38-36 (4 of which where from Gasol's up-and-down non-call, and Odom's offensive goal-tending non-call, in a 4-point game no less). And the Celtics threw up terrible shots? They shot 40.8% from to field to the Lakers 32.5%, and made 7 field goals in the 4th quarter to the Lakers 6. So how the hell did LA win? Oh yeah, they went to the stripe 20 more times than the Celtics, 37-17 (again, despite being essentially even in points in the paint, and fast break points). And they took 57% of those free throws in the final 25% of the game.

    What seems more likely, that the battle-tested, former champion Celtics randomly shit themselves and started fouling everything in sight, despite taking control of the game, silencing the hostile crowd, executing their game plan perfectly, and maintaining it for the previous three quarters, or that the refers started calling fouls where they hadn't for the previous three quarters? Anyone who actually watched that game will tell you that the refs let them play for the first three quarters. There were plays that absolutely would've been called fouls in December, but weren't, because it was game 7 of the NBA Finals. This is customary in all professional sports, as the refs generally do not want to be the ones deciding a championship. And that type of officiating is going to favor the tougher team, and the Celtics definitely took advantage of that. But then in the 4th quarter, plays that had been allowed all night were suddenly being called fouls, and the Celtics had their balls chopped off. Pretty much the opposite of the playoff referee mission statement. And even if you're going to call the game that way, you don't suddenly start doing so 3/4 of the way into game 7. Like an umpire, there's leeway in interpretation, but you have to be internally consistent. What caused them to start calling the game differently with a quarter to go, and contrary to conventional playoff officiating wisdom, both subjectively, and objectively based on the numbers? I don't know, you tell me.

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  103. To be accurate: the Heat beat a Spurs team that didn't have Manu Ginobili and it was a game that saw the Spurs blow a 24 point lead.  That was also a game before the Spurs acquired Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw...and it was on the road.  With or

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  104. This whole notion of the Spurs being "boring" is a bunch of bullshit.  They were 2nd in scoring in the regular season and tops in the playoffs.  Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are also exciting players to watch.  So, it baffles me why people wouldn't want to see them in the finals, especially when they're a bunch of good guys

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  105. Because most people are stupid, that's why. I've long appreciated the way the Spurs play the game. Celtics-Spurs would be a dream Finals for a basketball purest.

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  106. A Celtics/Spurs finals in 2012 would be a complete steamrolling, if we're being honest. Yes, The Celtics' defense is great, but all of us unfortunate bastards who sat through all 7 Philly/Boston games will tell you that Boston's offense is HORRIBLE. The Spurs would run them down in 4 games, 5 tops.

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  107. Tommy Heinsohn, is that you?

    Look, when i was watching the game originally, I was outraged at all of the FT's the Lakers were shooting and absolutely thought they had that game gift-wrapped. But honestly, watching the game over again a few times over the last 2 years, as well as watching breakdowns from everyone to Celtics fans, Lakers fans, and even Lakers hater, I can safely say that the better team won.

    You say the Celtics aren't capable of shitting themselves? As of 2012, they're 2-11 in series clinchers on the road. They're absolutely capable of shitting the bed, and even though the officiating became tight in the 4th quarter, and they missed a travel on a Pau Gasol putback, when you're such a battle tested team you should be able to weather the storm.

    The Celtics made downright stupid plays on the defensive end. Blowing assignments, messing up rotations, and not contesting shots because they kept trying to draw charges. The Lakers got so many free throws because Boston got themselves in the penalty early, which is NEVER conducive to winning basketball. The Celtics' gameplan went to hell, and they have nobody to blame but themselves.

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  108. I also think Bret's drawing power gets misrepresented. The first couple Wrestlemania's he headlined, IX and X, did better buyrates than VII and VIII, headlined by Hogan. If Google's top result is to be trusted, IX did 70,000 more buys than VIII. I'm even a little surprised, given how haphazardly his initial push was booked. It seems like they really might've had something in Bret before he was pushed down the card in '95, or his run had been better booked. And we've always heard how well he drew internationally.

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  109. Honestly, I think the Miz has gotten a terrible rap lately. I've always been a fan of his work, I have no idea what he could have done to piss someone off so bad that he gets busted down so far, but that's what depresses me.

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  110. Reply to JV below:

    Notice I did say the large majority of fans are fairweather. Certainly not all. I live in Youngstown, which is right on the OH/PA line, and I lived in Downtown Pittsburgh for a couple of years. The true fans are some very nice people, and a couple longtime friends of mine. I never say that an entire segment of the population are all exactly alike. That's akin to racism.

    However, when the Sqealers and Ratbirds play each other, I hope for a final score of 2-0 with a lot of horrific injuries. If Harrison hurts someone badly enough, hopefully they'll just forego penalties and suspensions and put the guy in jail where he belongs.

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  111. LeBrons two main problems are that he cares to much of what people think and he tends to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Kobe brought up a valid point in that he said he doesn't care what people think and he plays the game for himself.

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  112. Ratings don't matter because it's an archaic manner of measuring TV viewership and I'd be shocked if the method didn't get dramatically altered in the next decade (it should have happened already).  However, you're fooling yourself if you think that network showrunners don't care more about ratings than story.  They'll deliberately hold off major events in order to ensure that they happen during sweeps BECAUSE they care about ratings.

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  113.  @CrankyVince has found our slice of the Internets!  FUCK YOU.

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  114.  I don't know if Scott is necessarily blaming the rating on no Cena... but you can damn sure bet that the WWE sure is!  There's use all the excuses in the world instead of realizing they're putting out a boring product while pushing a guy who has been around for 13 years now instead of trying to get new people over.

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  115.  You are totally correct... the reason last year's finals between Miami and Dallas had the highest ratings since the Jordan era was because America wanted to see the Heat get their asses kicked.

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  116.  Reading this reminds me that after any of my teams suffer a crushing loss, I've often said "this is why I watch wrestling."

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  117. I'm surprised they gave up on Tensai so quickly... it would've been very easy for him to come out, destroy Sakamoto, take the mic and say that he came back to WWE to conquer the world, but he should've known better than to return to the place that made him the Hip Hop Hippo. He could wipe off his crazy face tattoo, say his name is Matt Bloom (or whatever they want to do) and try to give his character some sort of motivation or inspiration.

    BTW, the ref-stoppage-after-a-finishing-move thing they were doing with him I don't think did him any favors, as it's way too hokey.  Refs don't stop the match after someone gets an Attitude Adjustment or RKO... and they also didn't stop Tensai's match with Cena when he gave him the Baldo Bomb.  So, the ref can take into discretion that Tyson Kidd is obliterated by a Baldo Bomb and is so injured that he can't even be pinned while Cena can take the move and the match is allowed to continue?  Again, we all know this is scripted... but some of us at least like to suspend our disbelief that this is some sort of an athletic competition.

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  118. Nah, you blame the main evener. And Cena's been at the top overshadowing Punk's run.

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  119. This, this, a MILLION TIMES THIS!

    The larger issue is that Cena is being booked as the true WWE champion and Punk might as well be holding the IC title. 

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  120. I can answer most of your questions!
    1) The Heat represent the idea that you can buy a title. It's two superstars, an overrated star, and scraps. The Heat are not going to win a title this year and it's glorious. I hope they keep going back to the Finals and losing year after year after year. 

    What irks me most about LeBron is that he should have gone to Chicago. If he's the best player in the world (Wade is) he wants to be in a position to win the most titles (Chicago) and crush his closest competition (Wade). Instead he sold out and ducked from the moment. That's the problem with LeBron: he never, ever rises to the occasion. If you told me that I had to pick a guy in a do-or-die situation right now it'd be Wade or Kobe. I want LeBron NOWHERE near a tight game. 

    2) Yes, the Celtics are trash talkers but at this point we're the Wild Bunch: That team of outlaws that wants one last title. And Garnett might be known as a dirty player but Wade is secretly dirty, like John Stockton was. It wasn't an accident that it was Wade who delivered the no-call foul on Rondo. 

    As a basketball fan, I hate the Heat because they represent the idea that you can throw three big name stars together and hope it works out. They're the 2004 New York Yankees. I like and respect Wade, he's the clear leader of the Heat. I don't think LeBron should be rewarded for making a coward's move. 

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  121. Oh man, as a UNC fan I have to say that's going to hurt.

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  122. Kobe's problem is that he only plays for himself. I'd rather have Tim Duncan.

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  123. You can answer them, but it doesn't mean they're the right answers. :-)

    1.  Highly priced talent has been acquired by loaded teams for years.  The Bulls got Rodman (HOF), the Lakers got Gasol (All-Star), the Lakers got Kareem and Wilt (HOF), the 76ers got Moses Malone (HOF)...I can go on and on.  The Heat sigining Lebron and Bosh is really nothing new or unprecedented.

    He should've gone to Chicago?  Why?  Because you think that was the best spot for him?  So, if he goes to Chicago he's not selling out, but Miami is selling out?  That's kinda backwards logic.  BTW, the list of "clutch" (which is not a skill btw) is very surprising and I can assure you that Lebron is a lot higher on that list than you think.  Guys like Kobe get so much undeserved credit.  Game 7, 2010 Finals, the most "clutch" situation you can think of saw Kobe go 6-24 with 4 TO and 3 assists...not exactly showing up in the biggest game of the year.  http://www.nba.com/games/20100617/BOSLAL/gameinfo.html

    2.  The Heat or a finesse team.  This is pretty clear by all statistical measurements.  The Celtics are not and they talk way too much junk.  Now, I don't care about hot dogs and trash talk, but don't tell me the Heat are as dirty as the Celtics, it's simply not true.

    Lebron is the MVP and is the #1 contributor to this team.  He laid an egg in the finals last year, but he was 27.  MJ didn't win his 1st title until he was almost 28.  Lebron learned, worked hard in the off season, added a post game and had an unprecedented season.  BTW. Lebron carried the Heat past the Bulls and Celtics last year...I love how everyone forgets this. 

    I've watched every game since opening day last year and of the big 3, the one guy who can't go down is Lebron.  He is clearly the best player.  Talk of "leader" is cliche sports and means NOTHING to the actual outcome of games.  I'll take the guy that is an all-world defender, passer, physically imposing, fast as the devil and a 50+% shooter/efficiency.

    Call him a coward, whatever, I'm glad I can call him a member of my favorite NBA team of which I am not a bandwagon fan.  I've been following them since their expansion year.

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  124. You're hanging your hat on Jackson and Diaw when Wade and Lebron are going to play 40+ minutes?  lol, go ahead.

    The Spurs will win because of Parker, he's the one true mismatch. 

    The Heat has an explosive offense and they've remounted big deficits many times, including last night.  Again, without Bosh, the chances of the Heat winning it is much lower, but with him?  Who knows, Lebron is not the same player he was last year. 

    Either way, the Spurs still haven't won their series and neither have the Heat so lets wait on this a bit.

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  125. Joe, the Heat play a more traditional game than the Celtics.  Contrary to what people may think, the Celtics slow ass half court game is not traditional.  Teams used to run up and down the court since basketball was invented.  If anything, the Celtics are anti-purity and boring.  

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  126. Funny enough, the Celtics defense might be good, but so is the Heat's while playing a faster pace. 

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  127. Honestly, though, how can anyone seriously pin this on Cena not being there? WWE might because it's what they do, but really? Did they even announce Cena wouldn't be there? I don't understand how people can retroactively go back and claim everyone knew Cena wouldn't appear and they decided after the fact to not watch the show. It's understandable when it's announced ahead of time, but I don't believe it was. This was more likely due to the extremely heavy competition and some mediocre Raws the past two weeks, and no offense to Show who I thought did a really good job on Raw, but I don't think many people care about a Show VS Cena match. It's hardly new or fresh.

    Also, not the first time Cena's been at the arena but not appeared on the show, kinda weird.

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  128. Honestly, I think it's just an old holdover from years past when they were a known as a defensive grind it out team, hold you to 80 points.  I think most people that are basketball fans like watching the Spurs, they just have a bad rep among the casuals.

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  129. I would never say you're a bandwagon fan, you've proven time and again you're a passionate fan of all Miami sports (you're like a unicorn!). But I disagree with you.

    Actually, LeBron and Bosh going to Miami is unprecedented. Of the examples you cited: Rodman and Gasol were seen as second bananas, Wilt had already been traded before he got to the Lakers, there was no one on Kareem's level when he went to LA,, the only example that's comparable is Moses but the NBA was deeper then. The better comparison (though it's not close) is when Charles Barkley signed with the Rockets to play with Clyde Drexler and Hakeem.

    I don't think LeBron sold out. I think he took the path of least resistance. Like I said, we want him to be the next Jordan, he's the next Dr. J. Had LeBron gone to Chicago he's the unquestioned man, the biggest deal on the team. Plus he actually has a better overall supporting cast with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. Plus he gets to go to war with the Heat who have Wade and Bosh as the new Jordan/Pippen. As a Celtics fan that was a nightmare, as a basketball fan it would have been boss.

    I don't know why you have such a problem with someone being clutch. It's just playing well under pressure. Don't remind me of Game 7 2010... I'm not taking that game well.

    But LeBron's struggles last year (and if they make it expect them again) aren't solely his fault. I don't think those are examples of him not being clutch, they're an example of why he needs a better coach. Spolestra has absolutely run LeBron into the ground these last two years. LeBron is averaging over 40 minutes a game, I think he just got worn down.

    Also, LeBron is averaging more minutes than MJ but less fouls. He's the only player to average over 40 minutes a game in the playoffs and less than 2 fouls. This isn't me being a whiner or a conspiracy theorist: the NBA favors stars. Pierce and Rondo and Ganett will get deferential treatment in Boston, it's a problem though.

    Admittedly, I haven't watched as much as you but I think Wade is the one who can't go down.

    Finally, from the "what if...?" file apparently the Bulls floated a trade to the 76ers either before or shortly after the 1984 draft of Dr. J for MJ. Which would have meant the 76ers go in to 1984-1985 with a starting five of Mo Cheeks, Michael Jordan, Andrew Toney, Charles Barkley, and Moses Malone... That would have been a potentially awesome team.

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  130.  YOU'RE 1/3 THE MAN MY SON-IN-LAW IS.

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  131. I'd much rather see Boston vs. Oklahoma City.

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  132. Yeah that is the series I am pulling for too.  It never seems to work out in my favor though haha -- the last NBA Finals I was really excited about was the Spurs/Pistons series in 2005.

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