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Revisionist History: How Key Storylines Going Into The NBA Season Played Out

Before the '13-14 NBA season began, SportsBusiness Journal offered some storylines to watch. Here is how each topic stands as the NBA concludes its regular season tonight.

WARRIORS
• Then: The team starts the year with a franchise record season-ticket base of 14,000 and a 38-game sellout streak, along with future plans for a $1B arena and development project along the waterfront in S.F. -- if political hurdles can be navigated.
• Now: The team’s arena plans have been pushed back by a year (or longer) as the club works to find a suitable design to win approval. The project now is expected to be completed by '18 at the earliest. Meanwhile, the team announced that the season-ticket waiting list it created in November has surpassed 2,000 as ticket demand soars. The Warriors sold a record 14,500 season tickets for the '13-14 season.

KINGS
• Then: New leadership in Managing Partner Vivek Ranadivé and President Chris Granger get to work on a path for the club that include a $448M downtown facility to replace Sleep Train Arena.
• Now: The Kings unveiled a new design for the arena while also rolling out some high tech in-arena initiatives for fans in the Sleep Train Arena -- a Google Glass effort and becoming the first pro sports team to accept BitCoin virtual currency, among them. The Kings also are seeing more support at the gate, with an 18% increase in average attendance, matching the Pelicans for the highest percentage gain in the league.

76ERS
• Then: A lot of “in with the new,” as Josh Harris (Owner), Scott O’Neil (CEO), Sam Hinkie (GM) and Brett Brown (coach) take the reins.
• Now: The Sixers struggled mightily both on the floor and at the gate: Average attendance dropped 17% and the franchise sits behind only the Bucks at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Team officials figured on a slow build, though, and the team has developed some creative sponsorships -- most notably a deal with PartyPoker.com that also includes the Harris-owned Devils. The deal is the first to fill the newly created online gaming category in a joint agreement with the two franchises.

RAPTORS
• Then: Tim Leiweke comes aboard as President & CEO of MLSE in April and a revamping of the franchise’s front office follows -- along with a rebranding effort and a drive for increased relevance leaguewide.
• Now: It has been a nice turnaround on the floor so far for the playoff-bound Raptors. The team also has begun its rebranding work, done in part with rapper/team ambassador Drake and with a themed night featuring the Toronto native. Still, the team has not seen much traction at the gate, with attendance flat from last season.

LAKERS
• Then: Can the team rebound after a '12-13 season that saw the failed Dwight Howard experiment, the firing of coach Mike Brown after only five games, the loss of G Kobe Bryant to injury and the death of legendary Owner Jerry Buss?
• Now: The nightmare continues. The team missed the playoffs by a mile as Bryant suffered a knee injury early in the season just after returning from his previous Achilles injury. Local TV ratings reflect the team’s struggles on the court, with viewership on SportsNet LA down 54%.

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