Four years ago, NBA Commissioner David Stern was asked what his dream NBA Finals match-up would be.
“The Lakers against the Lakers,” was the surprisingly candid, though half-joking, response. And that is no surprise. The Lakers are the NBA’s version of Tiger Woods or the New York Yankees; they move the needle like no other team can.
ABC knows this first hand. Yesterday afternoon, the Lakers’ overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks drew a 3.4 overnight rating, up 42% from last year. The 3.4 overnight is tied with Lakers/Cavaliers on January 27 as the second-highest of the season so far. The highest rating of the season was a 3.5 for Lakers/Suns on Christmas Day.
So far this decade, the success of the Lakers has been a good indicator of the success of NBA ratings. In the four years the Lakers have not played in the NBA Finals, the event has failed to average a double-digit rating. In the five years L.A. did make the Finals, rating hit double-digits each time — including the 2004 NBA Finals against the Pistons, so far the only NBA Finals on ABC to average double-digits.
One could argue that one of the main reasons NBA ratings have fallen so much since the start of the current television contract in 2002-03 is because the Lakers have been generally mediocre during the same span. It is no surprise ABC’s highest NBA Playoff ratings came during the first two years having the television contract; those two years were also the last of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
In fact, after the Shaq-Kobe Lakers broke up, ABC’s early round playoff ratings dropped from a 4.5 in ’04 to a 3.3, 3.8 and 2.9 in the three subsequent years.
With the Lakers tied for the best record in the Western Conference, the NBA and ABC suddenly find themselves with a surefire draw — one that could potentially revive television ratings that sank to record lows last year. And with the Boston Celtics owning the best record in the entire league, the NBA must be cautiously optimistic that it has stumbled onto a much needed blast from the past.
Highest overnights for NBA Sunday on ABC.
2007-08 season; excludes Christmas.
3.4: Mavericks/Lakers (3/2/08, 3:30 PM ABC)
3.4: Cavaliers/Lakers (1/27/08, 3:30 PM ABC)
2.9: Lakers/Heat (2/10/08, 3:30 PM ABC)
2.6: Spurs/Celtics (2/10/08, 1 PM ABC)
2.4: Pistons/Suns (2/24/08, 3:30 PM ABC)
