After a week-long NBA hiatus, fans were eager to tune in to opening night of the Finals. And the game did not disappoint. Both Curry and LeBron brought it, scoring 26 and 44 points respectively. Despite James’ production, Golden State was able to squeak by in overtime (108-100) and protect home court advantage.
The night was as much a victory for ABC as it was for Golden State. Apparently, the game was the highest rated NBA Finals Game 1 ever on ABC.
From Forbes:
Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in an overtime thriller 108-100 pulled in a whopping 12.9 overnight national rating , making it the highest-rated NBA Finals Game 1 ever on ABC, according to Nielsen. The broadcast peaked with a 15.6 from 11:30 p.m.-11:45 p.m. ET.
To compare and contrast this NBA Finals Game 1 was up 24 percent from a 10.4 for last year’s Game 1 between the LeBron James led Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs.
When the final numbers are all in from Nielsen, Disney-owned ABC and the NBA Finals are expected to win the night across television for the 43rd consecutive time.
The game which saw LeBron James drop 44 points in a losing effort, yet had the Warriors defense be a key factor down the stretch, especially from Andre Iguodala, drew incredible numbers locally.
Game 1 on ABC delivered a 41.4 rating in the Cleveland market and a 28.9 in the San Francisco market . Both are the highest-rated NBA games on ABC ever in the respective markets.
