This year's NBA Playoffs have been just as exciting as they have been lucrative. And even though the potential dream matchup between Kobe and Lebron is looking bleak, all parties involved shouldn't be upset at all. Thanks to long series, and great matchups, the ratings through 40 combined games on TNT and ESPN are up over 18% over 2008. Via Sports Business Daily....

TNT is averaging 4.310 million viewers through 40 NBA Playoffs telecasts through Sunday, up 18.7% from 3.631 million viewers for 39 telecasts at the same point in '08. Meanwhile, ESPN's 16 postseason telecasts have averaged 4.049 million viewers, up 10.1% from 3.679 million viewers for 18 telecasts at the same point last year. ESPN's 5.7 cable rating and 7.886 million viewers for Thursday's Nuggets-Lakers Western Conference Final Game Two also marked the net's second-most viewed basketball game ever. For the week of May 18-24, the five NBA Playoffs telecasts between TNT and ESPN marked the five most-viewed telecasts on all of cable.

This level of viewership hasn't been approached by the NBA in quite some time, and it's great to see the league slowly building it's ratings back up. Advertisers must be loving the long series, and with so many young stars in the game, it will only bring in more dollars to the networks.

TNT, ESPN Both Seeing Double-Digit Aud Increases For NBA Playoffs (Sports Business Daily - $)

Esquire recently got a hold of one of Lebron's new agents, and childhood friend, Maverick Carter (one-fourth of James' LRMR management team) for a feature on the "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century" to talk about the marketing of his client and what's on the horizon. The 26-year old mogul is much more than a charity case and a friend that Lebron gave a job to and some of the answers he gives to the mag are almost a completely new way to think about promoting an athlete as a brand. There are talks of a possible ABC sitcom, a Buzz Bissinger written book and a story of how fun it is to turn down $10 million, but the whole thing is worth a read. Here's a brief section of the article in Esquire....

"Absolutely. If it's not AUTHENTIC to LeBron, then definitely not. We don't do sponsorships. See, sponsorship is" -- he points to the State Farm logo on one of the bike-a-thon banners -- "State Farm pays, then they get to put their names on it. Partnership is: State Farm pays to put their name on it, but they also bring something to the table. Instead of just money."

"The biggest deal we've said no to," Maverick says, scratching his chin and considering the options, "was $2.5 million a year. Now that's per year. Four years. Per year. It wasn't necessarily that the brand wasn't right. It just wasn't the right time for LeBron to do it."

To fully inhabit the future, LRMR is occupying every media medium and fanning out its breadth like a many-necked cobra. In each medium, they are partnering with someone who is tried-and-true. They are developing a sitcom with ABC based on LeBron; they are in talks with H. G. "Buzz" Bissinger about writing a book. (Maverick says, "You know him, he did Friday Night Lights.") They are releasing a documentary called, More Than a Game. Maverick's very excited about this one. He says, "It's true, it's real life, it's three hundred hours of footage -- the director was embedded in LeBron's high school world. If you got the best writer in Hollywood, you couldn't write a better script."

There are very few articles about Lebron that break any new ground these days, but this could possibly be the greatest glimpse inside "Camp James". I thought it impossible for anyone or anything to overtake the "Jordan" brand within Sports, but after reading that, it's not out of the question. When you consider Lebron's sheer popularity, and the globalization of Basketball, he very well could be the heir apparent to Jordan's advertising throne. What really fascinated me though was how both the author, and his agent, almost seemed to refer to Lebron as an inanimate object throughout the piece. He's almost robotic when proclaiming that his favorite drink when he goes out is "Vitamin Water" and he's even referred to as a "commodity" in the article at one point.

The biggest knock on Lebron James the player is that he's lazy and doesn't have the same fire that Jordan had. After reading that, I think he obviously has the fire, but it seems to be directed somewhere else, and not necessarily at an NBA Championship.

LeBron James's Magnum-sized, Ultrashiny, Nike-powered Lawn Mower to the Next Century (Esquire)
Buzz Bissinger’s Next Project: Book On Lebron? (Sports By Brooks)

Well this is one way to get the fans involved. All of the Heat's injured players are planning on taking calls from potential season ticket holders tonight in an effort to raise sales...

In an effort to generate buzz for HEAT Season Tickets, all HEAT players listed as inactive for tonight's game will join HEAT Season Ticket Sales operators during halftime of the New Orleans Hornets versus Miami HEAT game being held Wednesday, April 2. The HEAT players, along with the HEAT Dancers, will be standing by awaiting calls to assist with the purchasing of new HEAT Season Tickets. Potential HEAT Season Ticket Holders will have the rare opportunity to speak with HEAT players Marcus Banks, Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams and Dorell Wright*, as well as members of the “Most Popular Dance Team in the NBA,” the Miami HEAT Dancers.

I guess this is a good, but I'm not sure the players are going to have so much fun with this. Being a person that has sold tickets for an NBA team let me tell you that it isn't always fun. I was trying to convince Jordan lovers that the Wizards were better off with Gilbert Arenas. Trying to convince people to spent thousands of dollars on a team that's 13-61 might be impossible.

HEAT Players To Join HEAT Season Ticket Sales Operators During Halftime (HEAT.com)

With the NBA Season getting fully underway this evening (i.e.- The Wizards start their season) Sports Business Daily compiled a list of the individual team Slogans for the Season. Some are a little bland I felt like including my own and/or opinions in parentheisis. Why? Because I'm bored, and I have no life.

If you'd like to add yours in the comments feel free to do so.

Hawks- "The Highlight Factory" (The Small Forward Factory)
Celtics- "Think Big" (Think Mortgaging Your Future)
Bobcats- "Elevate" (Come Cry With Me)
Bulls- "Love it Live!" (Campaigning For Kobe!)
Cavaliers- "All for one. One for All." (All by One, No One Else Gets Ball)
Mavericks- "It's All About D" (Ummmm....I think that one's actually perfect considering Mark Cuban is involved)
Nuggets- "Can You Feel It?" (Can I Feel What? Carmelo's Bitch Slaps???)
Pistons- "50 Seasons of Hard Work. That's True Blue Collar." (Rubbing It In To Everyone Who Got Fired From GM In The Last Year)
Warriors- None
Rockets- "It's Time" (Time For What? Another first round loss in the Playoffs?)
Pacers- None (It's okay to come back now....Ron Artest is gone for good.)
Clippers- None (This is actually their slogan....I kid, I kid.)
Lakers- None (Come For The Kwame, Stay For His Cake)
Grizzlies- "New Game" (Brilliant marketing there. Resetting the Season like a video game....every Memphis Fan's wish.)
Heat- "20 Years of Heat/The Heat Experience. Feel it. Live." (Feel It Live Even Though Shaq and Wade Will Play In A Total of 15 Home Games This Year)
Bucks- "Where Amazing Happens" (Way to not be original and just steal the NBA's umbrella slogan)
T'Wolves- "See What They Can Do" (Wait, what who can do? Seriously, I have no idea who's left on the team)
Hornets- "Passion, Purpose, Pride" (Paul, Paul, Paul, Period)
Nets- "More Than a Game" (It's a Domestic Experience!)
Knicks- "Experience Knicks Basketball" (Too easy....pass.)
Magic- "The Time is Now. Be Bold. Be Blue." (I've got nothing, but I was thinking about a JJ Redick Night where all designated drivers get a bobble head or something)
76ers- "Multiple Slogans" (Zero Options On The Floor)
Suns- "Welcome to Planet Orange" (Isn't the Sun a Star? I'm confused)
Trail Blazers- "Rise With Us" (But only if you're 60 year old knees will allow you)
Kings- None (Come Experience Theus....LIVE!)
Spurs- "Team is Everything" (Boring....just like the Spurs)
Sonics- "Be Part of It" (Part of what? The moving crew???)
Raptors- "My Game is Raptors Basketball" (I think a campaign targeting woman surrounding the Andrea would be better)
Jazz- "It's a Pure Adrenaline Rush" (Come Enjoy The Game, We Still Feature 5 White Athletes!)
Wizards- Ready to Rule (By losing to the Cavs again in the Playoffs and Gilbert Opting Out!)

Man that was fun.....I suggest you give it a shot.

I can't even count the old ones..."It's Fantastic", "I Love This Game", "Love It Live", and "Who Wants to Sex Mutumbo" are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. Well add this one to the mix....

"Where Amazing Happens"

SBD gives this breakdown....

The campaign’s theme has drawn praise from a number of executives who heard about it during the meeting, but the NBA is keeping details of the campaign under wraps until the season draws closer.

It is the second NBA campaign this year for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The shop did the “Unbelievable” playoff and Finals campaign featuring illusionist David Blaine during the 2006-07 postseason.

According to one executive familiar with the theme, the conceptual presentation included a series of slides, one featuring Kobe Bryant and LeBron James dunking with the tag line “Where space walking happens.” Another slide depicted the dramatic photo of Michael Jordan sobbing as he holds the NBA championship trophy with the tag line “Where grown men crying happens.”

Eventually, the slides concluded with the tag line “Where Amazing Happens.”

Great....from the makers of the David Blaine Commercials. Umm....I can already tell I'm not going to be a fan. With that said....I've got a few of my own....

"Where Tanking Happens"
"Where Karaoke Happens"
"Where Point Shaving Happens"

I could go on and on, but I think it's safe to say the NBA needs to play this commercial about 14 hours a day across the world to help people forget about some of the incidents of the past year.

NBA readies ‘amazing’ new ad campaign (Sports Business Daily)