If the NBA’s second apron spells doom for the era of the superteam, the rigorous salary-cap restrictions don’t seem to have diluted enthusiasm for the playoffs.
Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the first two rounds of the NBA postseason tournament averaged 4.17 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT/truTV, which marks a 3.3% improvement versus the year-ago period. It’s worth noting that the gains thus far have been made alongside a 9% decline in overall TV usage.
Leading the ratings charge are the Disney networks, which have grown their playoff deliveries 12%. Through 22 games, ABC and ESPN are averaging 4.88 million viewers per telecast, making this the Mouse House’s second most-watched postseason in 14 years. Only the 2023 tourney put up bigger numbers to this point, as a Lakers- and Warriors-heavy slate dominated the airwaves that May. For example, Game 7 of the 2023 Golden State-Sacramento series lured 9.84 million viewers to ABC, making it the most-watched first-round broadcast since 1999.
The top draw of this year’s second round was the six-game Celtics-Knicks set, which averaged 5.36 million viewers per game, edging Warriors-Timberwolves (5.20 million). With an average draw of 4.96 million viewers, the Thunder-Nuggets series wasn’t all that far behind, although the blink-and-you-missed-it Pacers-Cavs set trailed the rest of the pack at 4.01 million.
That this season’s TV turnout has proven consistent with the 2024 deliveries is a predictable enough development, given that seven of the final eight teams that suited up for last year’s second round returned for another go this spring.
That’s where the similarities end, however. The last four clubs standing guarantees that an unfamiliar face will claim the title in June; while the Knicks last won it all in 1973 and the Thunder’s precursors in Seattle won a ring in 1979, Indiana and Minnesota have yet to earn a championship. That’s quite the departure from how things shook out a year ago, when the Celtics went on to win their 18th crown.
Naturally, the best shot the NBA has at keeping its ratings momentum alive is if the Knicks are still playing basketball in June. There’s a lot to be said for having a contender in the nation’s largest media market, although there’s some question as to how many of New York’s 7.49 million TV homes will remain standing if the Knicks punch their ticket to the Finals. After 25 years of frustration, Gotham is in raucous celebration mode, and the streets around the Garden on Friday night looked like something out of an Eisenstaedt V-J Day photo, only drunker.
As if Knicks fans needed any further incitement to go nuts, the only thing standing between the hometown team and the Finals is the hated Pacers. Indiana has eliminated New York in its three most recent playoff appearances, a triptych that includes last year’s second-round heartbreaker and the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. Reggie Miller will be on the call for TNT Sports throughout the series, because of course he will.
Out West, where the mood is presumably less colored by existential dread, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the must-see Thunder take on Anthony Edwards and a Timberwolves team that hopes to make everyone forget their hasty exit from last year’s Conference Final. OKC is the odds-on favorite (-180) to win the O’Brien Trophy, followed by the Knicks (+500), T’wolves (+550) and Pacers (+750), but both series could easily go the distance.
Minnesota and OKC tip off their series Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the Pacers and Knicks will reignite their rivalry the following night on TNT/truTV.
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