Finals ratings prove it. Let’s recap:
1999- 29 million watched the year before and it dropped to 16 million. Though it was the first Finals after MJ retired so can’t fault the Spurs for that.
2003- 15.7 million watched the Lakers sweep the Nets the year before. Drops to 9.9 million viewers
2005- 18 million watched Lakers/Pistons the year before. Down to 12.5 million for this one
2007- 13 million watched Heat/Mavs the year before. Down to 9.3 million for this juggernaut
2013 and 2014- 16.9 million watched Heat/Thunder in 2012. 2013 actually went up to 17.5 million, but 2014 went back down to 15.5 million
So in essence, why do fans seem to loathe the Spurs? And I can only imagine how much the NBA loved having ratings drop whenever they made it.
It’s more disinterest than hate for all the reasons people have already said. It would actually be better if they were hated, people who hate the Lakers would still tune in to see them in the finals if for nothing else than to watch them loose