Game 7 of N.B.A. Finals Draws High TV Ratings

The Miami Heat’s defeat of the San Antonio Spurs in the N.B.A. finals averaged nearly 17.7 million viewers on ABC, the most to watch the Spurs play for the league championship. The higher numbers were helped by a series that went seven games and because the Spurs’ opponent was the LeBron James-led Heat.

The Spurs have generally needed a larger market team as a partner in the finals to help attract viewers. In 1999, the Spurs-Knicks finals were seen by an average of 16.0 million viewers. But the Spurs’ sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 averaged just 9.3 million. Only slightly better was the Spurs’ 2003 finals victory over the Nets, which averaged 9.86 million viewers.

Game 7 on Thursday night drew 26.3 million viewers, the second most to watch an N.B.A. game on ABC. The viewership peaked from 11:30 to 11:45 p.m. Eastern, at 34.2 million viewers.

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