Game 1 was highest-rated ever NBA Finals opener for ABC
Warriors fans celebrate victory in Game 1 against the Cavaliers at Oracle Arena.
The Golden State Warriors weren’t the only winners Thursday.
ABC received a 12.9 overnight rating for Game 1, its highest ever for an NBA Finals opener, according to Nielsen.
The Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-100, in a game that was close throughout the second half and ended when the Cavaliers went dry, scoring only two points in overtime.
The game peaked with a 15.6 rating for a 15-minute time period congruent with the start of overtime and late in regulation.
The broadcast was up 24% from last year’s Finals opener between Miami and San Antonio.
Thursday’s game delivered a 41.4 rating in the Cleveland area and a 28.9 in the San Francisco market, the highest-ever numbers for an NBA game in each market. It received a 16.2 rating in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and a 15.7 in Sacramento.
Game 2 is Sunday at Golden State. The Warriors haven’t won an NBA championship since 1975 and Cleveland has never won it all in its 45-year history.
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