The NBA finally received some good ratings news with its most-watched Playoff game in 20 years, but only after LeBron James was eliminated from contention.
After three years of bad ratings, each year as bad or worse than the last, the league finally found its sweet spot on Sunday as Game 1 of the playoffs gave the Nets and the Celtics a 3.1 rating and 6.90 million viewers, the most-viewed opening weekend game in 20 years, according to Sports Media Watch. It was also the most-watched first-round game overall in six years.
The weekend saw viewership jump 37 percent over last year, averaging 4.05 million viewers, the website added. And it was 41 percent better than 2019.
The Nets-Celtics game peaked at 9.85 million viewers and jumped 30% in ratings and 51% in viewership from the Lakers-Suns game last year.
Celtics Jayson Tatum celebrates in front of Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving (Getty Images)
The Bucks-Bulls game ranked second with 477 million viewers and a 2.2 rating. It was a 56 percent bump in viewers and a 34 percent jump in ratings over last year’s Hawks-Knicks game.
The NBA’s games during the Easter holiday also soared over past years. Saturday, the Nuggets-Warriors game was up 16 percent in viewership over 2021, the Raptors-Sixers game won 57 percent more viewers, the Timberwolves-Grizzlies earned 27 percent, and the Jazz-Mavericks found 13 percent more viewers over 2021.
Memphis Grizzlies celebrate a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves (Getty Images)
The common denominator for the NBA’s sudden good fortune is the complete absence of LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers. James and the Lakers were aced out of the playoffs back at the beginning of April.
The Lakers fell to the Suns 121-110 on April 5, forcing the team to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.
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