Excerpt below from Dan Shanoff (writes the Daily Quickie on espn.com & sometimes on Around the Horn)

Everyone wants to see the Lakers in the Finals, but no one wants to see them actually win the title. (Same with the Yankees.) Dynasties are great for sports, but only for producing a team that everyone tunes in to root against.

Proof? See the NBA Finals Game 5, which got its highest TV ratings since '98 (and, given the trends in TV viewing, is almost as big an upset as the Pistons winning in 5).

Stars kindle our interest: But what these Finals revealed is that fans really tune in to see the best team topple them.
--------------------------------------------------------

I agree with him for the most part. We do love seeing the best teams (or what we believe is the best team) lose. He proves his statement by using tv ratings and as mentioned before here, I think tv ratings suck. I had more interest in the NBA in the last two weeks than I have had in the last 4 years. Partly because I love to watch the underdog. So, maybe ma.com is right, dynasties are good. Would we have been more interested in the playoffs if the Sacramento Kings were playing, probably not. In the end, I'm glad we had a spirited debate about the Lakers and then NBA. Even more happier that the Lakers lost!