No doubt because the Celtics had the opportunity to make history, Americans were very, very numerous on Monday night watching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Nielsen reports that they were on average 11.9 million in front of their screen, and it is the largest audience in the NBA since 2018, if we exclude the Finals broadcast on the national network.
Last season’s Game 7 remake attracted two million additional viewers, an increase of 21% in one year. The peak audience is 14.2 million, the 3rd best total in the history of the channel behind the 2016 Thunder-Warriors (16.0 million) and the 2018 Warriors-Rockets (14.9 million). It was also Game 7.
The Heat, king of ratings for 20 years
All channels combined, it is the 5th best audience for a playoff game for 20 years, and if we take into account the regular season, it is the 7th best audience since two Christmas matches complete this Top 7, including the reunion Kobe-Shaq in a legendary Lakers-Heat in 2004. SportsMediaWatch specifies that in the Top 18 of the best audiences for 20 years, there are 11 matches of the Heat!
Result, this Game 7 between the Celtics and the Heat becomes the most watched match of these playoffs, and it relegates far behind Game 7 between the Warriors and the Kings, with its 9.8 million viewers.
