Option 067: Choose One of Two

The 1994 NBA Finals were a fervent affair.

As Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell said, "Kenny has been traded many times, Thorpe has been traded many times, and I was given up by the Spurs; we three are typical journeyman players. But now, we are champions!"

As Tomjanovich said, "I just tell my players not to take shortcuts, and, never forget the heart of a champion."

As Jerry Krause commented on Roger, "The most beautiful part of Roger's rookie season isn't a jump shot or a buzzer beater, the most beautiful is the story he wrote against the world with his running, collisions, blood, and indomitability."

The perfect story, the perfect script, everything about the '93-'94 season was in line with David Stern's expectations.

But there was one bad news: the viewership rating for the 1994 NBA Finals was only 12, in comparison, the previous season's Finals had a viewership rating of 17.9. The Finals viewership had retreated to the levels of a decade earlier.