Evan Turner Admits To The NBA Favouring Entertaining Games During The Finals

• Evan Turner admitted to the NBA in favor of marquee matchups in the Finals

• He used the example of the 2021 NBA playoffs to explain his take

• The narrative of the NBA's penchant for big games in the Finals has been doing the rounds for some time now

Former NBA star admitted to the NBA favoring entertaining matchups in the Finals citing an example of the 2012 NBA Playoffs when he was part of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Speaking on Gilbert Arenas' podcast, Turner spoke about how the league preferred high-octane clashes as opposed to the rise of the underdog or a David vs. Goliath matchup.

“I remember we’re about to play a Game 7 in 2012. LeBron and the Heat are waiting, would you rather watch the Sixers or Celtics play the Heat? I’m gonna be honest I was on that team and I wouldn’t even watch the Sixers play the Heat. If we get into this game you know how much money the NBA is going to lose?… ‘We gotta win by 15 to win by 1.’”

You can watch the clip here:

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The 2012 NBA Finals was a classic between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder which the latter lost 4-1 despite taking the lead in Game 1.

What fans will remember however is the epic Eastern Conference Finals matchup between Miami and Boston which LeBron James and Co. had to battle out an intense Game 7 to notch up a 4-3 series win. 

For Turner, who was with the Sixers then and made the Conference semifinals, the tussle between the side and the Celtics went down to a Game 7, and used the postseason's final run as a way of how the league could land the revenue by some big name games.

To add, both Miami and Boston were filled with bonafide superstars and that accounted for a massive number of NBA fans thronging outside arenas for tickets, while some of the money was raked in from the fans tuning in.

And while Turner's thoughts further add to the theories doing the rounds about the league favoring marquee matchups, there's no telling if that's the case though.

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The Narrative Of The NBA Favoring Big Game Matchups Has Been Prevalent For Sometime Now

It's a fairy tale ending that the league prefers and that's been the mantra for more than a decade now.

The first inkling was reported in 2009 on Bleacher Report:

"The philosophy is simple, for the NBA to be successful they need to have good stories, including revival of older players, unheard of players dominating the league among other things. The most important thing for the NBA’s success is that all of the Major cities must have successful teams pretty frequently or at least a few at a time. These cities include New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Miami."

And this goes in tune with Turner's comments. And this past season, the Denver Nuggets pretty much were a team that left fans on a feel-good note as they played admirably to win their maiden silverware.

Now, while there have been mixed opinions, there is no denying that the narrative holds water. But with the Nuggets winning, the tables have turned as the focus was on the likes of the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics to pull a repeat of the 2022 NBA Finals.

As for the league's penchant for big game matchups in the finals. this storyline will continue and will serve as an endless debate for sure.

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