US television ratings are up, and the NBA will pass 23 million fans in combined attendance for the first time during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday in Detroit.
Having James in his first postseason certainly helped.
His Cleveland Cavaliers nearly pulled a huge upset against the Detroit Pistons in their first postseason since 1998. The Clippers hadn't seen the playoffs since 1997, and all they did was come within a game of reaching the conference finals for the first time.
"I think there's a lot of parity in this league, and that's why you are seeing these great series," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Every team is one bad thing away from being in trouble. Teams are very fragile these days."
Many series were a couple of plays away from having a different winner. Cleveland needed two game-winners from James against Washington in the first round. Without a lucky bounce of Brent Barry's 3-pointer late in Game 2, San Antonio may not even have gotten past its opening-round series with eighth-seeded Sacramento.
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