NBA Finals Game 7 delivers huge audience for ABC

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 7 win over the Golden State Warriors was the most-watched sports telecast on ABC since 2006.

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LeBron James, meet Michael Jordan.

Game 7 of the NBA Finals—a pulsating 93–89 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Golden State Warriors—drew 30.8 million viewers, the most-watched NBA Finals since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. That game, which drew 35.9 million viewers, featured Jordan and his Chicago Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz on a Jordan jump shot with 5.2 seconds left. It clinched Chicago’s sixth NBA championship in eight years and was the final game with the Bulls for Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson.

Last night’s viewership is the best for any sports telecast on ABC since 2006 and topped the Lakers-Celtics Game 7 in 2010, which drew 28.2 million.

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ESPN said viewership peaked with 44,511,000 viewers and a 22.5 U.S. rating from 10:30 p.m.–10:40 p.m. ET. The series averaged 20,166,000 viewers and an 11.3 U.S. rating for its seven games, the most-watched NBA Finals series since 1998.