Game 7 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for one of the lowest rated nights of the week.
| 2014 NBA FINALS SCHEDULE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date/Time (ET) | Game | Net |
| Thu., 6/5, 9 PM | Game 1 | ABC |
| Sun., 6/8, 8 PM | Game 2 | ABC |
| Tue., 6/10, 9 PM | Game 3 | ABC |
| Thu., 6/12, 9 PM | Game 4 | ABC |
| Sun., 6/15, 8 PM | Game 5* | ABC |
| Tue., 6/17, 9 PM | Game 6* | ABC |
| Fri., 6/20, 9 PM | Game 7* | ABC |
The NBA has scheduled Game 7 of the 2014 NBA Finals for Friday, June 20, the first NBA Finals game scheduled for a Friday night since 2003. The reason is the new 2-2-1-1-1 format for the NBA Finals, and the league’s desire to have a two-day travel break between Game 6 and Game 7. [The full 2014 NBA Playoffs TV schedule is available here.]
The remainder of the NBA Finals schedule will use the customary Thursday-Sunday-Tuesday rotation.
The most recent Friday NBA Finals telecast was Game 5 between the Spurs and Nets in 2003, which earned a mere 6.2 final rating and 9.3 million viewers — one of the smallest audiences ever for an NBA Finals game. Game 2 of that series, which also aired on a Friday night, ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed NBA Finals game since at least 1981 (5.2, 8.1M).
With that said, a Game 7 can generate big numbers regardless of the night. In 2011, Game 7 of the Rangers/Cardinals World Series scored a 14.7 and 25.4 million viewers on a Friday.
