The NBA regular season ended on a lower note for ABC.
Opposite the final round of The Masters, Sunday’s Blazers/Lakers game drew a 2.0 overnight on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 20% from Celtics/Cavaliers last year (2.5), down 29% from Spurs/Lakers in ’08 (2.8), and down 31% from Spurs/Mavericks in ’07 (2.9).
The 2.0 overnight is the lowest for a Laker game on broadcast since Lakers/Cavaliers in ’06 (1.9), which aired regionally (along with Mavericks/Nets) opposite the NCAA Tournament.
Blazers/Lakers seems certain to finish as the lowest rated national Laker game on broadcast TV since at least ’91. That distinction is currently held by Lakers/Suns in March ’07, which drew a 1.9 final rating.
Earlier in the day, Magic/Cavaliers drew a 1.8 overnight, down 5% from Mavericks/Hornets last year (1.9), even with Raptors/Pistons in ’08 (1.8), and down 5% from Bulls/Wizards in ’07 (1.9).
