Two days of insults and posturing got the NBA Finals back on track.
Game 5 of the Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals earned a 14.2 overnight rating on ABC Monday night, even with the same matchup last year and up 21% from Heat/Spurs in 2014 (11.7), both of which took place on a Sunday night. The 14.2 is tied as the highest Game 5 overnight since Lakers/Pistons in 2004 (15.4).
Overall, the 14.2 is tied as the eighth-highest for any NBA game on ABC since the network reacquired rights in 2002. Cavaliers/Warriors games account for eight of the network’s fifteen highest overnights, more than half.
The Cavaliers’ win peaked at a 16.2 from 11:30-11:45 PM ET, nearly two full points below last year’s peak of 18.1. That is actually a good sign for the game, as it means the numbers would have exceeded last year had the game been closer.
Monday’s game marked a return to form after Games 2, 3 and 4 of the finals each declined double-digits. The first two of those games were blowouts, and Game 4 aired on a low-rated Friday night.
Cleveland was the top market with a 38.5 rating, a series-high but down 9% from last year (42.5). In the Bay Area, it had a 36.9 — up 10% from last year (33.6) and the market’s second-best NBA rating on ESPN/ABC. Sacramento ranked third (20.4).
Embracing the role Cleveland held during the “Big 3” Heat era, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale was the top neutral market with a whopping 20.1. That topped even the Cavaliers’ secondary market of Columbus (19.6). It also surpassed the Heat’s final playoff game of the year, their Game 7 loss to the Raptors in the second round (18.5). Whether it is “Team Petty” seeking schadenfreude or leftover fans from the championship years, LeBron James still moves the needle in Miami like nobody else.
(Mon. numbers from ESPN Media Zone)
