Weekend ratings predictions.

First, the results of last week’s predictions.
Source: Sports Business Daily

Sport	Game/Event	Net	Prediction	Final rating
NBA	Rockets/Lakers Game 7	ABC	7.0	4.5
The Lakers’ blowout of the Rockets last Sunday drew a 4.5 final rating on ABC, down 21% from a 5.7 for Cavaliers/Celtics Game 7 last year. While the five Lakers/Rockets games on cable each drew higher ratings than the comparable games last year, the two games of the series to air on ABC both saw double-digit declines.
NBA	Magic/Celtics Game 7	TNT	5.1	5.1
The 5.1 U.S. rating for last Sunday’s Game 7 between the Magic and Celtics was up 19% from a 4.3 for Spurs/Hornets Game 7 on a Monday night last year, and marks the highest rating for an NBA game on cable since Pistons/Heat Game 7 drew a 6.2 in ’05. The game finished as the second highest-rated sporting event of the weekend, behind only The Preakness on NBC, and outdrew a competing Mets/Giants telecast on ESPN by a staggering 292%.
Horse racing	The Preakness Stakes, race segment	NBC	6.2	6.8
The 6.8 for the race segment of last week’s Preakness Stakes marks a 24% increase from a 5.5 last year, and is the second-highest rating for the Preakness since 1990.
NHL	Blackhawks/Red Wings Game 1	NBC	1.6	1.6
Featuring two big, Original Six markets, Game 1 of the Blackhawks/Red Wings West Finals drew solid numbers on NBC last Sunday. The 1.6 for the Red Wings’ win marks a 14% rise from a 1.4 for Flyers/Penguins Game 5 last year, and even tied the rating MLB coverage drew on FOX the previous day.
NASCAR	All Star Race	Speed	2.3	2.4
The 2.4 U.S. rating for last week’s NASCAR All Star Race was off 4% from a 2.5 last year.

This week’s predictions:

Sport	Game/Event	Net	Prediction	Final rating
NBA	Lakers/Nuggets Game 3	8:30 PM Saturday	ABC	4.2
The NBA Conference Finals are off to a red hot start on cable, with TNT and ESPN seeing dramatic increases in ratings and viewership. While one would imagine that the positive trend would continue on broadcast, keep in mind that ABC has been the lowest rated of the NBA’s television partners since the second-round began, and the only one to see declining ratings. Last year, ABC’s lone Conference Final telecast (Celtics/Pistons Game 3) drew a 3.7, tied as the lowest rating of the series.
NBA	Cavaliers/Magic Game 3	8:30 PM Sunday	TNT	4.8
After LeBron James‘ buzzer-beating game winner on Friday, TNT should expect some additional eyeballs for Sunday night’s Game 3 of the East Finals. Last year’s comparable Lakers/Spurs Game 3 drew a 3.7 rating.
NBA	Lakers/Nuggets Game 4	9:00 PM Monday	ESPN	5.2
With one of the teams trying to even the series at 2 games apiece, ESPN should draw big numbers for Lakers/Nuggets Game 4 on Memorial Day. Last year, Celtics/Pistons Game 4 drew a 4.0 rating.
IRL	Indianapolis 500	1:00 PM Sunday	ABC	4.5
With NASCAR shedding viewers, could the Indianapolis 500 be the beneficiary? The last time the Indianapolis 500 outrated the Coca Cola 600 was 2005. Last year’s race drew a 4.6, a tick lower than the 4.7 for the Coca Cola 600. If the Indy 500 manages to stay close-to-even with last year’s number, and the Coca Cola 600 has one of the double-digit drops that have become typical of NASCAR races this season, Indy could come out on top again.
NASCAR	Coca Cola 600	5:00 PM Sunday	FOX	4.2
Every single, solitary NASCAR telecast — from the Bud Shootout to the Daytona 500 to the All Star Race — has seen declining ratings this season, with the last eight races on FOX seeing double-digit declines. Can the Coca Cola 600 buck the trend? Last year’s race drew a 4.7.
NHL	Red Wings/Blackhawks Game 4	3:00 PM Sunday	NBC	1.7
With very little in the way of competition, look for NBC to draw relatively big numbers for Red Wings/Blackhawks Game 4 on Sunday. Game 1 last week drew a 1.6 rating, tied as the best for an NHL telecast since ’02, excluding the Stanley Cup Finals and Winter Classic.