Cable guys.

After years of marginalization, its finally happened. The NBA Playoffs are less of a television attraction on broadcast than on cable.

For years, viewers tuned in en masse for the NBA’s Sunday afternoon broadcast showcase. Games on cable merely supplemented the ‘real’ big show, whether on CBS in the 1980s or on NBC — usually at 5:30 PM ET — in the 1990s. The idea that one day more viewers would tune into late weeknight games on cable than Sunday afternoon games on broadcast, especially in the playoffs, seemed unlikely at best.

Fast forward to the present: 2009, the tail end of a decade that saw the NBA drastically reduce the number of games it airs on broadcast. Through Thursday night, eight of the ten highest rated games of the 2009 NBA Playoffs have all aired on cable, including the five highest rated games. ABC’s highest rating of the playoffs was a 3.5 for Cavaliers/Pistons Game 4, well below TNT’s high water mark of 4.4 for Bulls/Celtics Game 7 and ESPN’s top rating of 4.6 for Lakers/Rockets Game 6.

While ABC’s playoff average of 3.1 still tops the averages for TNT and ESPN, the network has seen the biggest decline in ratings of the three networks.

Part of the problem for ABC this postseason has been a much less attractive set of games than its cable competitors. While TNT rode five Celtics/Bulls games to higher ratings in the first round, ABC aired only one — missing out on Games 1 and 7, which both aired on weekends when the network could have conceivably aired the games. TNT and ESPN have both drawn higher ratings thanks to the Lakers/Rockets series, but the lone game to air on ABC not only drew the lowest rating of the series, but was also the only game to see a decline.

The second biggest draw of the second round, Celtics/Magic, has been a complete no-show on ABC. Barring a trip to the NBA Finals, the Celtics, who have now played two stirring seven-game series, will finish with only one playoff appearance on ABC. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, who played two uncompetitive sweeps, have made three appearances.

Because ABC airs so few playoff games, the network typically misses out on series that capture national attention. In 2005, Suns/Mavericks was relegated to cable while ABC featured Pistons/Pacers twice — with both games seeing declining ratings. In 2007, the Warriors’ exciting playoff run was a cable only affair, with ABC at one point choosing Pistons/Bulls Game 4 over Jazz/Warriors Game 4, and drawing one of the lowest ratings ever for a second round game on broadcast as a result.

Deciding what playoff series to feature is an inexact science, and a problem NBC never had — since the network typically aired at least one game from almost every NBA Playoff series. And with ABC choosing some less than exciting games this postseason (Cavaliers/Pistons, Cavaliers/Hawks and Heat/Hawks come to mind), cable has been the beneficiary. The high profile, highly rated games have been the ones on TNT and ESPN, with ABC left out in the cold.

ABC should finally be able to buck the trend this Sunday, as Rockets/Lakers Game 7 is likely to draw the highest rating of the playoffs so far. Then again, the network will still be missing out on yet another marquee game — Magic/Celtics Game 7, which will air in prime time on TNT.

Highest rated games of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.