Finals and Warriors Parade Generate Record Number of Views on NBA Socials
The Golden State Warriors are the NBA’s biggest and best attraction. With their Finals victory this season, the Dubs managed to put up record numbers off the court while Steph Curry was doing it on the court: Across the NBA’s social media accounts, they generated 2 billion views from both the Finals and their championship parade.
Credit to the Boston Celtics as well for making things interesting and giving us a compelling series, but Steph’s numbers alone show how Warriors-driven the viewership was. Becoming the first player in Finals history to average 30 points per game while shooting less than 5 free throws per game, Curry was on fire the entire series save Game 5, where his gravity opened up the floors for the Warriors to get cooking.
Despite a lackluster night from Steph, it seemed to many that the series was over as the final buzzer sounded in the last Finals game at Chase Center for the series.
The celebrations generated an incredible amount of content as well, ranging from Klay Thompson tripping and accidentally running into a fan, Draymond Green with some colorful language while addressing his doubters during the rally, and Steph Curry partying until 3am after winning his 4th ring and 1st Finals MVP. There were plenty of other clips that went viral, and whether people were loving it or hating it, those moments racked up the views.
The Warriors have once again built the most entertaining product in basketball, and with a young core to continue the legacy after the Big 3 retires, it doesn’t look like they’ll be going anywhere soon. The Warriors managed to grab three new rookies in last night’s draft, loading up their team with depth for the future, and with their recent development track record, there’s plenty of reason to believe this team is going to remain good for a very long. That’s good for the league, as the organization runs like a well-oiled machine and produces winning basketball that’s still highly entertaining.
The driving force behind the best show on hardwood, however, is Steph Curry. As long as he’s on the team, they’re going to put up crazy viewership numbers. When he finally hangs up his kicks, it’ll be on Jordan Poole to provide the electricity that Steph has. While he’s got a long way to go, Poole has already shown he’s got that big-play spark in him the same way that Steph does. He’s entertaining to watch with a lightning-fast first step and a smooth, quick release on his jumper that can make for some impressive highlights no matter who’s in front of him. The Dubs have also upgraded their explosiveness with James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, two vertical threats which adds a whole new dimension that the Dubs haven’t really had before.
Curry showed he’s got plenty left in the tank, which will give plenty of time for the young guns to grow into their roles. When the torch is eventually passed, the Warriors won’t miss a beat and will still be putting up that special brand of hoops. There’s a very real possibility that this new core has plenty more NBA Finals trips in its future… And maybe even a few parades.
(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)