Sports TV
Huge kick in ratings for NBA playoffs
By Toni Fitzgerald
May 20, 2008 - 1:20:28 AM

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers both made it one step closer to a much-anticipated NBA finals matchup last week, and already they’ve given postseason basketball ratings a huge bounce.

Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinals Game 7 between the Celtics, who had the best record in the league this season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made last year’s finals, averaged a 6.9 Nielsen overnight household rating for ABC.

That marked the network’s highest-rated non-finals NBA game since it acquired the rights to the NBA five years ago, according to Sports Business Daily.

In fact, should the rating hold, it would even better the average for last year’s four-game NBA Finals series between the Spurs and Cavaliers, which drew a 6.2 final rating.

Sunday’s game, won 97-92 by the Celtics, was also up almost 70 percent over ABC’s comparable game last year, the first matchup of the Spurs-Utah Jazz Western Conference finals, which averaged a 3.8.

The Celtics’ victory came two days after the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years, beating the Jazz in six games. They’ll face the Spurs, who finished off a seven-game series against the New Orleans Hornets last night.

Ratings for the postseason have shot up this year with the revival of the Celtics, who had the Eastern Conference’s worst record last year, and the Lakers, who won three straight titles from 2000 to 2002 but became an afterthought after the 2004 departure of Shaquille O’Neal.

ABC, ESPN and TNT have all seen double-digit playoff increases, including among the men 18-49 and 18-34 that advertisers are so eager to connect with.

The main reason has been the heavily hyped resurgence of two once-great franchises, along with some compelling side storylines.

The Lakers and Celtics faced off three times in a four-year span in the NBA finals during the early 1980s, with the Lakers winning two titles and Boston one. The teams combined for eight of the 10 titles during the 1980s, but the Celtics haven’t been back to the finals since 1987.

Sports pages across the country have predicted a huge ratings up tick if these two squads make it to the final, which would feature teams from the No. 2 and No. 7 markets in the country.

There are other reasons for the playoff surge, too. The New Orleans Hornets’ run came less than three years after Hurricane Katrina, and much like the New Orleans Saints’ success touched a nation 18 months ago, so too has the Hornets’ dogged play.

Other interesting subplots included, early on, O’Neal’s playoff debut with the Phoenix Suns, Bryant’s quest to make the Western Conference finals for the first time without O’Neal, and Cavalier LeBron James’ attempt to make two straight finals.

The playoffs continue on ABC, ESPN and TNT through May. The finals will start on June 5 on ABC.