NBA Finals Ratings Up: Warriors vs. Celtics Game 3 Preview

The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors are apparently must-see TV.

The bad news is, the Houston Rockets fell short of the NBA playoffs this season. The good news is, now the Rockets look towards the NBA Draft, where Houston owns the third overall pick, to add to a roster that could fulfill postseason ambitions.

The Rockets are targeting Paolo Banchero with their top selection of the 2022 NBA Draft. With the Duke Blue Devils, Banchero wowed audiences as he led Duke to the Final Four. Could Banchero's leadership aid the Rockets in rebuilding a team worth watching?

All the while, the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors are apparently already must-see TV.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Boston Celtics are the most-watched in three years. The NBA Finals ratings are up 37 percent from the 2021 series, averaging nearly 12 million viewers in Game 1, according to Nielsen.

After splitting the first two games of the series in San Francisco, the Celtics host the Warriors on Wednesday in a critical Game 3. With the series tied, the team that wins Game 3 has won the championship 82.1 percent of the time (32-7).

The Celtics haven't dominated at home in the postseason; The Celtics went 1-2 at home against Miami and 2-2 at home against Milwaukee. However, Boston is 6-0 following a loss and those wins have often come in dominating fashion.

FUN FACT: Entering Game 3, the Warriors have won at least one road game in each of the last 26 playoff series - Good for an NBA record streak that began in 2013. Can Golden State continue that streak in the team’s first road game of the Finals?

RECORDS: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (1-1) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (1-1)

WHEN: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 8 p.m. CT

LOCATION: TD Garden — Boston, MA

TV/RADIO: ABC

ODDS: The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites vs. the Warriors.

NEXT: Game 4 is Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. CT in Boston before shifting back to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday, June 13 at 8 p.m. CT.

• Game 6: Thursday, June 16 at 8 CT, ABC (If necessary)

• Game 7: Sunday, June 19 at 7 CT, ABC (If necessary)

LAST WORD: Jayson Tatum on playing at home, the first Finals game hosted at TD Garden in 12 years.

"I feel like recently we've kind of relaxed at home. Whether we thought because we had home-court advantage, we came out a little more relaxed. But just having that sense of urgency, knowing that we're at home, but that we need to play better at home.”