As the numbers for Tuesday’s Pacers/Knicks game showed, 90s nostalgia will only go so far.
Game 2 of the Pacers/Knicks second round NBA playoff series drew 3.8 million viewers on TNT Tuesday night, down 16% from Pacers/Heat Game 2 last year (4.5M), and down 38% from Celtics/Heat Game 2 in 2011 (6.0M).
Though the lopsided nature of the game surely hurt, it should be pointed out that the Knicks have not exactly moved the needle during the postseason — at least on cable.
None of the Knicks’ five playoff games on cable have drawn at least four million viewers. By contrast, 11 of the 15 other playoff teams have played in at least one game that drew over four million — including the Nets, albeit in a Game 7. Of course, the Knicks have had three appearances on broadcast network ABC, each of which sailed past the four million mark.
Later Tuesday night, Game 2 of the Grizzlies/Thunder series drew 4.8 million viewers — down 6% from Clippers/Spurs Game 1 last year (5.0M), and down 2% from Grizzlies/Thunder Game 2 in 2011 (4.9M).
(Tue. numbers from The Futon Critic)
