You think so? Not sure OKC will be a bigger draw than Dallas was last year?
Should be a good series.
In terms of star power, it doesn't get any bigger than okc/mia.
Lakers/heat would have been a big draw for the NBA.
Last year was interesting, the big 3 were so hated, it brought people who don't normally watch , tune in. Add in the fact that you had a white star whose team was the underdog - a lot of folks tuned in to see how it would unfold.
Miami, although still hated are not the villains they were last year. And it seems like espn likes use the "greatest expectations of any player now and until the end of time" narrative with lebron these days. Doris Burke should have just got on her knees and pulled lebron shorts down on live TV after game 6. I think the media can effect the casual fans perception.
With that said casual fans will still tune in hoping to see the heat go down much like they do with the yankees or any other polarizing team. Myself - i'll tune in for some great matchups, a heat loss would put a nice big grin on my face though.