When LeBron James and Stephen Curry meet on the court for titanic clashes, basketball fans around the country tune in at historic rates. At least, that's what Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals taught us.
According to ESPN (via USA Today's AJ Neuharth-Keusch), Thursday night's series opener between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors was the highest-rated Game 1 ever to air on ABC. Nielsen ratings indicated the epic showdown pulled in a 13.1 overnight rating, which broke last year's record of 12.9.
Sports Business Daily's Austin Karp reported Thursday's Game 1 recorded the best ratings for an opening title tilt since the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers produced a 15.2 overnight when they met in the 2001 NBA Finals on NBC.
The Warriors ran away with a 104-89 victory thanks to the superlative play of their bench down the stretch, but the defending champions weren't always in prime position to assume a 1-0 series lead.
Despite entering halftime down nine points, the Cavaliers opened the third quarter on a 21-11 run and took a one-point lead with three minutes, 57 seco ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Alec Nathan
Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 1 Was ABC’s Highest-Rated Finals Opener of All Time
June 3rd, 2016 by Alec Nathan Leave a reply »
Advertisement