The NBA has a ratings problem. Or it doesn’t. It sort of depends on who you ask. Heading into the holiday week, the narrative was that ratings were down, but after putting up huge numbers across five games on Christmas—including a Warriors-Lakers match-up that was the most-watched regular season game in five years—people are largely feeling a bit better about the state of the sport.

Television viewership is down from this time a year ago. This matters to Kevin Durant, a 14-time All-Star who's seen what the NBA can do.

At the same time, Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick suggests that critical broadcasters and social media discourse are largely to blame for the league’s ratings slump. Regardless of the cause,