The Detroit Pistons had the opportunity to take on the Brooklyn Nets on national television Wednesday. Here’s how the game fared against other ESPN games this season, and a breakdown of what these numbers mean.
As Wednesday’s battle with the eight-seeded Brooklyn Nets approached, Pistons fans didn’t seem very positive about the fact that their team was finally getting the national spotlight. On a three-game losing streak along with promising rookie Sekou Doumbouya playing through a slump, the light at the end of the tunnel was dim for those tuning into ESPN for another exciting night of NBA basketball.
The Pistons are really on ESPN tonight. pic.twitter.com/fjbUS4MGBX
— Tony Dombrowski (@tonydombrowski) January 29, 2020
Although the Pistons fought through the first half, the rest of the game wasn’t so pretty, and the result was another loss (or a win, for those looking to improve draft position).
To the unsuspecting viewers out there who just wanted to watch a basketball game on ESPN, on behalf of Pistons Twitter I say this:
— Duncan Smith (@DuncanSmithNBA) January 30, 2020
We’re sorry.
For those that are casual fans of basketball that tuned in, why didn’t ESPN flex the game? Despite contractual agreements, the league flexed Zion Williamson‘s debut into the national television schedule. Sure, he’s one of the games transcendent stars but why can’t they flex out other games as they see fit, such as the NFL does?
Oh well.
How many people actually tuned in to watch the Pistons and Nets on ESPN? Here are the numbers.