“I don’t even want to make guesses,’’ Stern said in his state-of-the-league address before Miami won Game 1, “because I know that both sides will make their best offers before the lockout. Because if they don’t, then there’s going to be a lockout that would be destructive for our business from the owners’ perspective and the players’ perspective.’’
Deputy commissioner Adam Silver went so far as to call out the Miami Big Three. He pointed out that the contracts of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh all call for 10 percent increases each season but the league’s revenue is growing only at 4 percent. Stern has claimed that half the league’s 30 teams are losing money. The players association disputes that number.
“All our attention is focused on trying to get a deal before July 1,’’ Silver said. “We’ve been asked this before, and that is whether we’ve already begun to incur damage to our business before the expiration of this deal, and the fact is we have.’’
Stern said neither side has suggested a “franchise tag’’ to help smaller-market teams keep their standout players longer.
It’s House’s party Eddie House is back in the NBA Finals, three years after helping the Celtics win the crown with clutch shooting off the bench. He was signed to drain 3-pointers in Miami’s up-tempo offense, but with the emergence of Mike Miller and James Jones, his responsibilities have been reduced.
House was a great help in getting the Heat home-court advantage in the Finals. Miami needed a victory in its season finale at Toronto to edge Dallas for the NBA’s third-best record. And when San Antonio, Chicago, and the Lakers were all eliminated, the Heat were left with the best record.
Displaying vintage shooting, House dropped a career-best 35 points as the Heat overcame the Raptors that day, 97-79. He played 45 minutes and canned seven 3-pointers.
READER COMMENTS »
View reader comments » Comment on this story »