The opener of the Eastern Conference Finals trailed previous games to involve LeBron James‘ Heat, but the numbers were still solid.
Game 1 of the Heat/Pacers NBA Eastern Conference Finals earned a 5.8 overnight rating on ABC, up 49% from Grizzlies/Spurs last year (3.9) but down 12% from Celtics/Heat on ESPN in 2012 (6.6). Last year’s Pacers/Heat Game 1 on TNT had a 6.3 overnight.
Heat/Pacers earned the lowest overnight for a Conference Finals opener involving the Heat since James and Chris Bosh joined the team in 2010, with the caveat that the previous openers aired in primetime.
With that said, the 5.8 overnight is the third-highest for a Conference Finals opener on ESPN/ABC (12 seasons), and the ninth-highest for a Sunday afternoon game on ABC, regular season or playoffs.
The 5.8 is also the second-highest for any playoff game on ABC — excluding the NBA Finals — over the past three seasons, trailing only Heat/Pacers Game 4 in 2012 (5.9).
(Sun. overnight from ESPN Media Zone)
