ESPN and ABC earned good numbers for a full slate of NBA playoff action over the weekend.
Game 1 of the Pacers/Knicks second round NBA playoff series drew a 4.9 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 6% from Pacers/Heat Game 1 last year (5.2), and down 30% from Celtics/Heat Game 1 in 2011 (7.0). Despite the declines, the game ranks as the highest rated of the playoffs in the metered markets, topping the previous high of 4.8 for Heat/Bucks Game 4 the previous week.
Locally, the game drew a 9.1 in the New York market — the highest for an NBA playoff game on ABC excluding the NBA Finals. In Indianapolis, the game drew a 14.3 rating.
Earlier in the day, Grizzlies/Thunder Game 1 drew a 3.8 overnight — even with Clippers/Grizzlies Game 7 last year (3.8), but down 7% from Grizzlies/Thunder Game 1 in 2011 (4.1). The game earned a 22.7 in Oklahoma City and a 15.5 in Memphis.
On Friday night, ESPN and ESPN2 earned strong numbers for a pair of Game 6 doubleheaders. In the early window, the networks combined for a 3.4 overnight rating — a 2.9 for Knicks/Celtics Game 6 on ESPN, and a 0.5 for Pacers/Hawks on ESPN2. There were no comparable games either last year or in 2011.
Later in the night, the networks combined for a 4.5 overnight. Rockets/Thunder Game 6 drew a 3.2 overnight on ESPN (up 10% from Grizzlies/Clippers Game 6 last year), and Clippers/Grizzlies Game 6 drew a 1.3 on ESPN2.
The telecasts earned solid numbers in seven of the eight local markets, with New York (4.4), Houston (7.8) and Indianapolis (7.3) earning their highest ratings ever for a first round NBA playoff game on ESPN/ESPN2. Keep in mind the games were also available on local RSNs.
Atlanta was a different story, as the ESPN2 telecast of Pacers/Hawks drew a mere 0.9 in the market. A charitable interpretation is that most of the Hawks fans were watching the SportSouth broadcast.
(Weekend numbers from ESPN)
