If by any chance you’re one of the New Yorkers who switched off Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game after the Knicks went down 29 to the Spurs, your neighbors probably let you know how things shook out in the Garden well before the nearest screen confirmed the outcome.
In what Knicks coach Mike Brown later characterized as “the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left on the clock gave rise to what might best be described as a collective roar. From the Battery to the Bronx, we’re talking pneumatic-jackhammer decibels—and perhaps nobody was making more noise than Rita Ferro.
Like many of the top execs at ESPN/ABC, Disney’s global ad sales president is a long-suffering Knicks fanatic, and her team’s astonishing comeback has placed them within arm’s reach of their first title in 53 years. If there can be said to be a downside to New York going up 3-1 over San Antonio, it’s that Ferro’s team may miss out on an opportunity to make a bundle on a lengthy series.
In TV, the rule of thumb for a best-of-seven championship series is that the rights holder breaks even in Game 5, realizes a profit in Game 6 and breaks the bank in Game 7. Thus, no matter how things shake out at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, Disney won’t come away from the NBA’s season-ending spectacle in the loss column.
