Game 7 of the most stirring NBA Playoff series in recent memory will take place on a Saturday night — on cable.
The Bulls/Celtics series — featuring two of the top markets in the country, two of the most storied franchises in NBA history, the defending NBA champions, and four overtime games — has been mostly a cable-only affair. Five of the six games have aired on either ESPN or TNT, with only Sunday’s double-overtime Game 4 airing on ABC.
Granted, this is nothing new in the seventh year of the NBA’s cable-heavy adventure, but one imagines that the NBA wishes it had scheduled a potential end to this series for Sunday afternoon on network TV instead of Saturday night on cable. Instead, the NBA scheduled Cavaliers/Pistons for Sunday afternoon, and that series ended after four uncompetitive games. Now, while TNT airs what figures to be a highly rated Game 7 between the Bulls and Celtics, ABC gets the Hawks against the Heat or Cavaliers, followed by Game 1 between the Mavericks and Nuggets — neither blockbuster affairs.
This is not the first time Game 7 of a classic first round series has concluded on basic cable. In 2006, a hard fought, highly rated series between the Suns and Lakers ended on a Saturday night on TNT, and drew a 3.1 rating. To put that in perspective, Game 4 between the same two teams drew a 4.3 the previous Sunday.
While this is a bit of a wasted ratings opportunity for ABC and the NBA, TNT will surely reap the benefits. Game 7 figures to be one of the higher rated first round games in recent memory, and TNT is the only NBA rightsholder whose ratings have not declined thus far this postseason.
Viewers figure to reap the benefits as well. At least Game 7 will not be preceded by a U2 music video, with a halftime Rob Thomas interlude.
