One of the more surprising results in NBA Finals history played out in front of the league’s largest crowd — in the metered markets — since 1998.
Game 7 of the Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals earned an 18.9 overnight rating on ABC Sunday night, up 7% from Spurs/Heat in 2013 (17.7) and up 4% from Celtics/Lakers in 2010 (18.2), both of which took place on Thursday nights.
The 18.9 is the highest for any basketball game, college or pro, since Game 6 of the Bulls/Jazz NBA Finals in 1998 (22.9), and the highest for Game 7 of the NBA Finals since Knicks/Rockets in 1994 (20.2). In both cases, the previous high was an 18.2 for Celtics/Lakers in 2010.
The Cavaliers’ nailbiting win — which completed an unprecedented finals comeback from 3-1 down, clinched Cleveland’s first pro sports championship in 52 years, and provided an exclamation point to LeBron James‘ winding career arc — peaked at a 25.5 from 10:30-10:45 PM ET. The peak rating in 2013 was 22.6 and the peak in 2010 was 23.7.
The 18.9 overnight is also tied as the highest for any sporting event — outside of the NFL or the Olympic Games — in nearly a decade, since Florida/Ohio State in the 2007 BCS National Championship (19.1). It tied last year’s Ohio State/Oregon College Football Playoff national championship, which had an 18.9 over multiple ESPN networks (18.5 on ESPN alone).
The 18.9 tops every Major League Baseball game since Game 4 of the 2004 Red Sox/Cardinals World Series (19.7), every college basketball game in at least the past two decades, and every soccer telecast in U.S. history.
Cleveland was Sunday’s top market with a 46.3 rating, trailing last year’s Game 3 (49.0) as the market’s highest for an NBA game on ESPN/ABC. Game 7 of the 1997 Indians/Marlins World Series had a much higher rating in the market (59.4). In the Bay Area, Game 7 delivered a 39.4 rating, trailing last year’s Game 6 (40.7) as that market’s highest for the NBA on ESPN/ABC. Game 7 of Giants/Royals in 2014 scored a 38.1 in the market.
According to ShowBuzz Daily, Columbus ranked third among all markets with a 30.1 rating. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale was the top neutral market with a 24.3, not far off the 27.6 the market delivered for the Heat’s most recent finals game in 2014. San Antonio (23.6) and Sacramento (23.3) rounded out the top five, and top market New York scored a whopping 20.3 — topping the Knicks’ most recent finals game in 1999 (20.2).
(Sun. numbers from ESPN Media Zone, with additional info from ShowBuzz Daily)
