The NBA, its network partners and ad agencies wanted LeBron. Instead, they got Tiger - sitting in the front row.
The FInals features the two best teams in the league and its two most famous spectators - Magic supporter Woods and Lakers' courtside fan, Jack Nicholson.
Orlando was far superior to the Cavs in the conference finals and earned its way into the championship round. Dwight Howard has taken all those lessons he learned from Rasheed Wallace to heart - he, not LeBron, is the league's most dominant player when he's at the top of his game.
I think the Finals will be fascinating and very close. The Lakers have better and more athletic defenders than the Cavs to match up with the Magic. But Orlando is peaking ar the right time and Howard is feeling invincible. I see it going the distance with the Lakers' playoff experience being the deciding factor.
Broader question - will advertisers pull all those LeBron commercials or risk looking foolish during Finals timeouts?