Hello to all two fans of Wicked Smart Sports. Maybe this will be the year I actually blog and try to get this thing going.

What could bring me out of retirement? Waking up and seeing the Panthers/Oilers Game Seven on Monday outdrew every NBA finals game since 2019 with 16.3 million viewers.

Yes, you read that right. The sport the maple syrup loving commies up north created had one game do better than every NBA finals game over the last four years. Four! That includes the 2020 Mickey Mouse title that featured LeBron, the 2022 finals better the Celtics and Warriors, last years snoozer that featured the best player in the world and this years finals.

Let me preface by saying the NBA hasn’t had a game since 2016 and, naturally, with that much on the line, the casuals will tune in.

Still, it shows just how far Adam Silver’s NBA has fallen. The least watched game of the 2017 finals did 18.7 million. The 19 finals had four games that would be the most watched post COVID.

What’s led to this? What’s led to the falloff of a league I once, and still do, love?

I could write a book on the subject. It starts with Adam Silver being the worst commissioner in sports. Since he’s taken over the league has gone so far downhill, giving all the power to the player which has significantly damaged the product.

But I’m not here to complain. That’s not me. I’ll offer solutions that go beyond getting rid of the moron, weak, alien running the league.

Let’s start with a simple one: bring back pregame player introductions!

How cool is this? I mean it’s not quite on the level of a Stephen A/Josh Hart debate but I’d say this is a pretty sweet way to sell a game.

How hard is this to do? It’s literally part of every game!! Earth to ESPN: your studio show sucks. It doesn’t sell the game at all. You losers would rather show Stephen A’s intro to the arena than the pregame intros.

It’s sad. These dorks don’t even realize they’re the reason the ratings are in the tank. There’s no presentation. The game doesn’t feel big. It’s just a First Take debate followed by the opening tip.

Mute the mics and give the fans at home a feel of the atmosphere in the arena. I promise, it will help sell your sport.