LeBron James may no longer be the biggest draw in the NBA, but he can still move the needle.
Game 2 of the Pistons/Cavaliers NBA playoff series had 3.4 million viewers on TNT Wednesday night, up 35% from Blazers/Grizzlies last year (2.5M) and up 17% from Bobcats/Heat in 2014 (2.9M). Compared to the Cavaliers’ Game 2 against the Celtics last year, which aired on a Tuesday, viewership increased 2% from 3.3 million.
The Cavaliers’ win earned the third-largest audience of the postseason on cable (14 telecasts), behind Rockets/Warriors Game 2 on Monday (4.4M) and Sunday’s Grizzlies/Spurs opener (4.0M).
Blazers/Clippers Game 2 had 2.6 million later in the night, down 32% from Spurs/Clippers last year (3.8M) and down 36% from Blazers/Rockets in 2014 (4.1M). Blazers/Clippers is the only series thus far with multiple double-digit declines.
Rounding out Tuesday’s action, Hornets/Heat had 411,000 viewers on NBA TV — up 8% from Nets/Hawks last year (380K) but down 26% from Mavericks/Spurs in ’14 (557K).
(Wed. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
