The Celtics vs OKC Thunder was poised to be an instant classic on Sunday night. But that was just expectations as reality shows quite a different picture. The home team dominated the defending NBA champs in the second half. The Celtics players blamed themselves for the loss, rightfully so. But Adam Silver has the blame when it comes to ratings. The league is well aware of the ongoing dip in ratings and yet they continue to shoot them on their legs. That’s how the general consensus is after the game.

Sunday’s game between the Celtics and OKC Thunder was on NBA TV, but it also overlapped with the NFL’s last week of the season. “It gets back to the NBA better figure out quickly and prioritize marketing the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Tim McMahon said on the latest episode of The Hoops Collective podcast. “Like, do things like put them on Christmas. Do things like when you have the defending champions going to OKC,” the NBA insider urged.

Hopefully Adam Silver is listening too. The ESPN insider also gave a wake up call to the league and the TV partners to figure it out. Silver’s league is going into a new era of NBA television starting next season after the $76 billion deal with Amazon, ESPN/ABC and NBC. So they better chalk out their plan accordingly that could give the NBA teams the maximum exposure possible. McMahon also warned, “Don’t cry about playoff ratings in late May, June if the teams that are playing in those series, you treat like the Washington Wizards in, in January, February.”

The Christmas Day games reportedly saw an 84% increase in viewers, following a 21% drop in viewership before the holiday. Of course, one of the reasons was the Lakers vs Warriors game. If the NBA continues with this approach of not promoting teams like the Thunder or the Cavs, they might face rating issues during every playoff series where star players like Steph Curry and LeBron James aren’t playing.

This has been a topic of discussion throughout the season, as it was observed that the ratings dropped by nearly 28% on ESPN just a month into the new season. So, what exactly is the potential reason behind this decline?

Speculations surrounding the dip in Adam Silver’s league ratings

There isn’t a specific answer to this, but there are some predictions made by analysts that could explain the drop in popularity. One of the reasons cited is the 82-game regular season that each team plays. However, that’s not the only factor. Frequent trades have also been listed as a reason for losing some fans, as the constant movement of players from one team to another makes it harder for fans to build long-term connections with them.

Another cause highlighted is Adam Silver and his officials’ focus on social issues. The league’s stance on sensitive matters is believed to have offended some conservative fans. Moreover, the other factor, which even Mr. Silver has emphasized, could be the resting of players because of load management.

Some also believe that the regular season isn’t given the same level of importance, as most teams focus more on the postseason. So they try to keep their star players healthy for the playoffs by reducing their playing time during the regular season.

Adam Silver needs to step up and refine his marketing strategies if he wants to push the viewership. The direct competition with the NFL has already led to declining ratings in recent years. But the NBA must take action before next season, when the new partners take over.