Power Rankings: Being more like big Bowl is Super plan

Updated Feb. 9

On Sunday, as David Stern gazed at the most-watched show in the history of U.S. television, you know he had to be wondering: What can the NBA do to duplicate this kind of viewership success?

The NBA Finals don't resemble the Super Bowl in any way, shape or form. Some would say they can't. To them I respond: Why not?

NBA brass is full of marketing maestros who could take the Finals to new, Super heights. (Getty Images)

OK, a best-of-7 series has a distinct disadvantage in attention-grabbing when compared to a single championship game. But not everyone among the 106 million or so who lounged on the couch Sunday afternoon and evening settled in to watch football.

Some were drawn by the parties. Others by the hype. Or maybe it was the commercials or music.

These aren't things necessarily married to football. So why couldn't the NBA attempt to recreate them?

Mr. Stern might not have had pen and paper handy amid the chips and beverages, but I did. So amid the talking babies and men in underwear (on TV, not at my party), I jotted down five things on my cocktail napkin the NBA ought to consider.

A day later, the list had a little Peyton Manning to it. You know, it had lost some of its luster.

Alas, it survived. So here are my thoughts, and my thoughts on my thoughts:

The NBA Finals should be played at a neutral site.

This is a good one. You think Mardi Gras is a party? Imagine a fortnight of nonstop hoops hoopla. Now think about this, Timberwolves fans: Since the Finals are in June, every city in America would be up for consideration to be the host.

And here's the best part (other than no wasted travel days): The champion of the East, having posted a superior record than its Western rival against vastly inferior competition, wouldn't bogusly be awarded the home-court advantage.

There should be a week off between the end of the conference finals and Game 1 of the Finals.

I thought of some positives Sunday, including the fact this would eliminate the possibility of a tired team embarking on the most important series of the season.

One good night's sleep later (hey, the game was over before 7:30 p.m. Pacific), I'm now thinking of the 37 daily Dwight Freeney ankle updates and every sports anchor complaining nightly about how boring the week off is. Talk about boring. So let's just take a three-day break and get on with it.

There should be more television timeouts interspersed into the action.

You might not have noticed this about the Super Bowl, but if not for the additional commercial time injected into the game and a half-hour rock concert in the middle, the game might have been ended in about two hours. I don't know about you, but I was having fun. The last thing I wanted was to get home in time for The Simpsons.

Why can't the NBA Finals be as much about the TV commercials as the Super Bowl is? I'll say this: The bar was set awfully low after Sunday's snoozers. And here's the best part: More breaks in the action means less reason for star players to come off the court. Or are you a big fan of Luke Walton?

There should be a rock concert at halftime of every game.

This is a no-brainer. Of course there should. The Who added to Sunday's show and, most important, to Sunday's ratings. And that's what these additions are all about, right?

And here's the best part: A half-hour halftime act adds 15 minutes to the total package, which adds 15 minutes to the fun. Or are you one of these people who complain about the length of major sporting events, as if you had something better to do?

Someone needs to create a catchy office pool for the Finals.

I heard a guy who sounded like he knew what he was talking about estimate half of the people who watched the Super Bowl had a bet on the game. If that counts "squares," I believe it. Hey, basketball games have quarter scores, too. In fact, they don't all end in 0, 3 and 7, so everyone actually would have a chance to win.

Again, however, I now see the flaw in this logic. If not for gambling and fantasy football, the NFL wouldn't be half as popular as its ratings would indicate. Basketball doesn't need artificial inflation. It already is the best game on Earth. No pools.

Of course, it would be nice to get a Peyton Manning vs. the City of New Orleans angle to the NBA Finals. It appears -- based on my weekly CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings -- that Mr. Stern will have to settle for LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant.

Hey, that'll sell. Mix in a little Sammy Hagar and you've really got something.