After Games 1 and 2 drew big ratings on TNT, ratings cooled off for Lakers/Rockets on ABC.
The Rockets’ blowout Game 4 win over the Lakers drew a 4.1 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 16% from a 4.8 for last year’s comparable overtime Game 4 between the Lakers and Jazz, but up 21% from a 3.4 for Pistons/Bulls Game 4 in ’07.
The 4.1 finished tied with the final round of The Players Championship on NBC as the highest overnight rating of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast.
Meanwhile, Cavaliers/Hawks Game 3 drew a 4.0 overnight on ABC Saturday night, up 3% from a 3.9 for Celtics/Cavaliers Game 3 in the same timeslot a year ago, but down 2% from Suns/Spurs Game 3 in ’07.
Cavaliers/Hawks topped NASCAR on FOX by 11% head-to-head (4.0 to 3.6). This marks the second straight Saturday night that an NBA game has beaten NASCAR head-to-head in the overnights.
Overall, ABC averaged a 4.1 overnight for NBA coverage over the weekend, down 7% from a 4.4 last year, but up 8% from a 3.8 in ’07.
