Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has got the team playing some of the best basketball in the NBA over the last three seasons, culminating with a championship win last season. The team looks well-equipped to become the first team since the 2018 Warriors to defend their title this season, currently sitting No. 2 in the East with a 21-5 record.
During a press scrum, Mazzulla commented on recent criticisms of the NBA as a TV product by revealing he doesn’t watch games himself.
“I add to that, I don’t watch NBA games. I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else… I don’t like watching the games.”
Asked Joe Mazzulla on what he thinks about the NBA ratings discussion:
“I add to that, I don’t watch NBA games. I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else.” pic.twitter.com/y57BymiU4L
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) December 18, 2024
Anyone who infers that Mazzulla isn’t watching film regularly from this would be stupid, as he is a tactically sound coach who identifies the weaknesses in his opponents’ play-style. But would Mazzulla turn on the primetime game on TV on an off-day? Probably not.
There are many factors behind this. It could be about the packaging of NBA games on TV, with the game feeling tedious to get through, especially in the fourth quarter. A few minutes of game-time shouldn’t take over 30 minutes to end and isn’t an attractive way to watch basketball. In addition, viewers feel the inconsistencies in referee decisions just as much as the coaches and players on the sidelines.
The reason the NBA ratings slide has caused many to blame the style of basketball played on the court nowadays, with an increased dependency on three-pointers as one of the reasons many aren’t watching the product.
Mazzulla instituted an evolution of the old three-point-oriented offenses with the Celtics, as the team is shooting 51.1 attempts per game this season, This would set a new NBA record, as will the 19.0 three-point makes per game. It’s fair to say Mazzulla isn’t referring to this as why he’s not interested in watching games.
Adam Silver addressed how the style of play might be one of the factors behind the NBA’s poor ratings on traditional television, despite the league being more successful than ever as a media product whose rights recently went for over $70 billion.
“(The NBA is having) many discussions about the style of basketball. (They’re looking) holistically at skill level on the floor, the diversity of offense, the fan reception to the game — all the above. I think the game is in a great place. I love watching the games, and I think we have some of the most skilled athletes in the world competing.
“It’s not unique to the NBA, where analytics start to be too controlling and create situations where players are doing seemingly unnatural things because they’re being directed to do something that is a more efficient shot. And part of what we’re focusing on, too, is that what makes these players so incredible is the joy they bring to playing the game and the freestyle notion of the game too.”
The NBA is bound to see TV ratings pick up in 2025 after the NFL season is over, but it does seem like the league is not built to compete with traditional TV behemoths anymore.
Most of their fan base is young and international, as indicated by streaming numbers skyrocketing and the NBA setting new records for social media engagement every season.
But even with the success of the league as an entertainment product, a title-winning coach saying he doesn’t watch the product on TV is an indictment of their lack of success on this front.
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