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An exciting NBA Finals opener was not enough to reel in more viewers to a lopsided second act.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals averaged 8.76 million viewers Sunday night on ABC, based on Nielsen numbers reported by Sports Media Watch. It’s the least-watched NBA Finals Game 2 since 2020 (Heat vs. Lakers, 7.54 million), a series played in the bubble at Walt Disney World due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Excluding 2020, it’s the least-watched Game 2 since 2007 (Spurs vs. Cavaliers, 8.55 million).
The number is down nearly 30% from Game 2 of last year’s Finals (Celtics vs. Mavericks, 12.3 million), and drew less than the 2021 series (Bucks vs. Suns, 9.38 million), which was also impacted by the global pandemic.
It’s also down from the series opener, which averaged 8.91 million viewers Thursday—a game that saw Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winner with 0.3 seconds left. The series was poised to get a viewership lift from Game 1’s exciting finish, which peaked at 11 million viewers around the time of Haliburton’s shot. However, Oklahoma City led by double figures for most of Sunday’s game, which peaked at just 9.9 million viewers.
The 8.84 million viewership average of the first two games is down at least 24% from the last three Finals, even if the first three rounds of the playoffs were up 3% entering the Finals.
The first two games of this series averaged less than half the viewership of the first two games of the 2018 Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers (18.1 million), which ended with a sweep.
The Thunder and Pacers play in two of the league’s smallest markets, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver praised both ahead of Game 1, stressing the NBA’s emphasis on building a global brand.
“As a global sport, you can feel the passion for this team and for NBA basketball here in Oklahoma City, but that’s a passion felt globally,” Silver said.
This postseason had been a strong one for the league through the conference finals. NHL TV ratings have been down significantly in the U.S. this year, but up substantially in Canada.
