The Oklahoma City Thunder overtook the Indiana Pacers to win the highly competitive Game 7 of the NBA Finals. With that stunning victory, they quickly became the darlings of fans across the country. The Opening Night match up, which was broadcasted on ABC and ESPN+, led to an amazing 16.53 million viewer average. That’s quite the accomplishment, considering it’s the most-watched Finals game in six years! This dramatic finale to the seven-game series spilled into prime-time on Sunday night, capturing the attention of millions of fans and non-fans alike.
Even in that potentially deciding matchup, the Thunder prevailed 103-91, proving their toughness not just in that game but during the entire series. The cumulative average viewership for the whole seven-game series came out to 10.27 million. This figure still fell short of last year’s Finals, which saw the Boston Celtics defeat the Dallas Mavericks in five games and attracted a dazzling 11.31 million average viewers.
The peak audience for Game 7 reached 19.28 million during a critical moment in the second half, specifically between 9:45 and 10:00 p.m. ET. This enormous viewership drives a historic turnaround in Finals ratings. It’s the first time an NBA Finals game has broken the 16 million mark in viewership since the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in 2019. The Raptors’ Game 6 win attracted a viewership of 18.34 million.
The historical background of this consumption is just as remarkable. Prior to this unusual head-to-head, the last Game 7 to match that kind of rating was 2016. That was the year that the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors, averaging a staggering 31.02 million viewers. That Game 7 still stands as the highest-rated game since early May of that year.
Despite the excitement surrounding this year’s Finals, it is essential to note that the series average of 10.27 million represents a decline compared to last year’s viewership figures. Nonetheless, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s performance and the engagement it generated among fans indicate a positive trend for the NBA.
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