And that's with the advantage of nostalgia as an added selling tool, thanks to a matchup invoking memories of the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson battles of the 1980s (the three L.A.-Boston finals of the '80s averaged a 30 share, as did the six Michael Jordan-led Bulls series in the '90s).
His very first draft pick, Magic Johnson, took the league by storm and led L.A. to the 1979-80 title, kicking off a decade of memorable battles with Larry Bird and the Celtics (the two teams combined for eight of nine NBA championships from 1980 through 1988).