That sound you hear is David Stern opening champagne bottles at NBA Headquarters.
Nielsen Co. reports that 28.2 million people watched the Lakers repeat as NBA champions in an ugly but entertaining Game 7. The last time that many people watched an NBA game Michael Jordan was pushing off Byron Russell to hit the game winner against the Jazz in 1998, ending that era of Phil Jackson titles.
And you wonder why the league wants those Lakers/Celtics matchups.