Kobe makes 'Final Four' with BUD, ETFC, GM & MCD - NBA still in business

Posted Jun 16th 2008 5:16PM by Sheldon Liber
Filed under: Rants and Raves, General Motors (GM), Thailand, McDonald's (MCD), Walt Disney (DIS), Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), Business of Sports, E*TRADE (ETFC)

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher with referee

Yesterday could have been the end of the NBA season, but the Los Angeles Lakers forced a game six in Boston -- not so much by winning; more by having a "refuse to lose" finish that they could not muster before. I am quite sure David Stern is fine with that outcome. ESPN, and ABC television owned by Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) must be ecstatic. The NBA officials will earn another paycheck, and the sponsors? They are praying for a game seven for sure!

Yesterday, prior to the game, I posted Sunday Funnies: Lakers/Celtics -- NBA business success, and dedicated much of the word flow to all the clamoring about NBA officiating and reasons why the game had issues. Today is all the about the cash.

While the Super Bowl is the hugest of events, an NBA Finals is a saga with twists and turns, and this one so far has had many. The Lakers face insurmountable odds of winning two games in Boston so they have been as much as counted out already.

Laker star and NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant has posed the most interesting perspective on the challenge his team faces that I can ever remember. He said, prior to the game, that since he did not go to college he viewed his situation like making the Elite Eight referring to Division I college basketball March Madness. He said, you just have to feel grateful you are there and know that you have to win three games to win the tournament.

If that is the case, having won yesterday, the Lakers -- having made the Final Four -- still have two games to win. That is a wonderful perspective and all that could be hoped for in the Lakers situation.

However, the Celtics have a different view. They will play game six like it was game seven, and since the Lakers have shined in spurts but not finished with any gusto, the odds are severely against them.

And now a word from our sponsors -- Anheuser-Bush (NYSE: BUD), E*Trade Financial (NASDAQ: ETFC), GMC a division of General Motors (NYSE: GM) and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) -- all had commercials broadcast during the game, and will have at least one more. All the excitement, news and growing hype building up to each successive game has to be good for all of them.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money. Disclosure: I do not own shares in any of the stocks mentioned.

Tags: ABC Television, AbcTelevision, BUD, Celtics, David Stern, DavidStern, DIS, e-trade financial, E-tradeFinancial, ESPN Television, EspnTelevision, ETFC, ETrade, General Motors, GeneralMotors, GM, inthenews, Lakers, MCD, McDonalds, NBA, NBA Play-offs, NbaPlay-offs, Sheldon Liber, SheldonLiber, Walt Disney, WaltDisney