Quick, guess which year was Michael Jordan's last in the NBA Finals?
Marketed far more on the power of individual stars than any other US team sport, NBA Basketball suffers the most when it lacks those charismatic stars in postseason play.
1987-1989 were the end of the Magic Johnson/Larry Bird era. 1990 saw an interim year and a ratings low. 1991 began the Michael Jordan championship era, with the Chicago Bulls winning championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. During Jordan's minor league baseball excursion years of 1994 & 1995, the Hakeem Olajuwon lead Houston Rockets didn't have nearly the star power and ratings crashed again.
Tired of being a mediocre baseball player, Jordan's return brought NBA postseason ratings up again for 1996, 1997 and 1998. His final year being the best finals ratings of his career (and the highest HH ratings we have in our data going back to 1974). Another interim year after Jordan's exit and ratings plunged again. One might have thought that the Kobe/Shaq lead LA Lakers might have raised ratings back to Jordanesqe levels, but they merely halted the decline near the 1990 & 1994 lows from 2000-2002.
NBA Finals TV Ratings, 1974-2008
| Year | Net | Games | HH Rating | HH Share | Avg. HHs (million) | Avg. Viewers (million) | Teams |
| 2008 | ABC | 6 | 9.3 | 17 | 10.530 | 14.941 | Boston/Lakers |
| 2007 | ABC | 4 | 6.2 | 11 | 6.912 | 9.289 | San Antonio/Cleveland |
| 2006 | ABC | 6 | 8.5 | 15 | 9.332 | 12.972 | Miami/Dallas |
| 2005 | ABC | 7 | 8.2 | 15 | 8.951 | 12.544 | San Antonio/Detroit |
| 2004 | ABC | 5 | 11.5 | 20 | 12.451 | 17.942 | Detroit/Lakers |
| 2003 | ABC | 6 | 6.5 | 12 | 6.955 | 9.864 | San Antonio/New Jersey |
| 2002 | NBC | 4 | 10.2 | 19 | 10.752 | 15.678 | Lakers/New Jersey |
| 2001 | NBC | 5 | 12.1 | 23 | 12.390 | 18.996 | Lakers/Philadelphia |
| 2000 | NBC | 6 | 11.6 | 21 | 11.677 | 17.402 | Lakers/Indiana |
| 1999 | NBC | 5 | 11.3 | 21 | 11.205 | 16.014 | San Antonio/New York |
| 1998 | NBC | 6 | 18.7 | 33 | 18.336 | 29.040 | Chicago/Utah |
| 1997 | NBC | 6 | 16.8 | 30 | 16.291 | 25.586 | Chicago/Utah |
| 1996 | NBC | 6 | 16.7 | 31 | 16.019 | 24.858 | Chicago/Seattle |
| 1995 | NBC | 4 | 13.9 | 25 | 13.284 | 20.078 | Houston/Orlando |
| 1994 | NBC | 5 | 12.0 | 23 | 11.291 | 17.253 | Houston/New York |
| 1993 | NBC | 6 | 17.9 | 33 | 16.694 | 27.209 | Chicago/Phoenix |
| 1992 | NBC | 6 | 14.2 | 27 | 13.097 | 20.838 | Chicago/Portland |
| 1991 | NBC | 5 | 15.8 | 32 | 14.750 | 23.910 | Chicago/Lakers |
| 1990 | CBS | 5 | 12.3 | 25 | 11.320 | 17.190 | Detroit/Portland |
| 1989 | CBS | 4 | 15.1 | 30 | 13.620 | 21.260 | Detroit/Lakers |
| 1988 | CBS | 7 | 15.4 | 31 | 13.620 | 21.700 | Lakers/Detroit |
| 1987 | CBS | 6 | 16.7 | 35 | 14.600 | 24.120 | Lakers/Boston |
| 1986 | CBS | 6 | 14.1 | 31 | 14.430 | Boston/ Houston | |
| 1985 | CBS | 6 | 13.5 | 30 | Lakers/Boston | ||
| 1984 | CBS | 7 | 12.1 | 26 | Boston/Lakers | ||
| 1983 | CBS | 4 | 12.3 | 26 | Philadelphia/Lakers | ||
| 1982 | CBS | 6 | 13.0 | 28 | Lakers/Philadelphia | ||
| 1981 | CBS | 6 | 6.7 | 27 | Boston/Houston | ||
| 1980 | CBS | 6 | 8.0 | 29 | Lakers/Philadelphia | ||
| 1979 | CBS | 5 | 7.2 | 24 | Seattle/Washington | ||
| 1978 | CBS | 7 | 9.9 | 25 | Washington/Seattle | ||
| 1977 | CBS | 6 | 12.7 | 33 | Portland/Philadelphia | ||
| 1976 | CBS | 6 | 11.5 | 29 | Boston/Phoenix | ||
| 1975 | CBS | 4 | 10.1 | 28 | 6.920 | 11.380 | Golden State/Washington |
| 1974 | CBS | 7 | 13.5 | 32 | Boston/Milwaukee |
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Without the Lakers in the finals in 2003, the NBA the San Antonio Spurs/New Jersey Nets finals produced a ratings catastrophe. The return of the Lakers in 2004 brought the finals back to their previous early century ratings. The following two years seemed to establish a new baseline just under 13 million average viewers, a level that would have been considered terrible just 5 years earlier, but probably had David Stern breathing a sigh of relief. That didn't last long when the NBA's newest name star, LeBron James, and his otherwise overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers were swept away by the boringly successful San Antonio Spurs taking NBA finals ratings with them to their lowest level in the years for which we have data (1974-).
What does this year's NBA finals ratings picture look like?
This year's ideal ratings matchup would be the Kobe Bryant lead Lakers vs. the LeBron James lead Cavaliers. An Orlando/Denver series wouldn't do nearly as well. Perhaps more important than the matchup though is the number of games the finals series lasts. A 4 game series among the weak ratings matchup certainly would set an all time low, but even among the marquis matchup wouldn't come close to last years ratings levels.
2006-8 data is Live+SD, all previous years are Live viewing.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2009 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Bill Gorman a Cavs v Lakers Series If it goes 6 games! I think it will be higher than last year’s tv ratings. Im guessing 10.0-11 Rating.. what do you think?
Wow, San Antonio is like Kryptonite to NBA finals ratings.
An excelent 7 game Lakers/Cavaliers (like Lakers/Rockets) series could even pull 16, 17 million with game 7 scraping 20 mill.
Even if there’s a Nuggets/Magic series, I donk think it will do worse than the 2007 series.
Jackson, I don’t think a Cavs/Lakers 6 game series beats last years 14.9 million average, but it might be reasonably close. The reborn Celtics were a really big story last season, even for marginal NBA fans.
TomSD, San Antonio definitely dampened the 2007 average, but more important I think was the fact the series only went 4 games, so it had only one “possibly final” game, which is where big increases happen.
Bill, It’s not just 2007. In 2003, 2005 and 2007 there were huge drops from the previous years.
If the playoffs are any indication, this yera finals will do better than last year’s.
Well I think the finals this year will have higher ratings than last year’s finals.
Celtics not being in The finals I don’t think really hurt’s the rating to be honest. In Boston The finals ratings were high and but they could of been higher.
I will say a Cavs-Lakers Finals Attracts 16 million maybe 17 a game. And plus playoffs are hitting records high’s. Lebron attracts a whole new audience so does kobe. Put it with the laker’s Fan base. I cannot see how last year’s finals outdraws this years!
if My Kings were in the 2002 Finals vs the Nets. That finals would of had higher ratings. Proably a 12 or maybe a 13. Kings were so hot at that time and drawing big numbers on national tv and cable. Let’s Hope Rubio could bring that buzz again.
Wow, I’m surprised this years’ ratings are so low compared to 2004. And that its debatable whether this years’ final will beat last years’. That’s why God invented visual aids, I guess. I have to go along with the conswensus that a Laker/Cavs final would be the NBA’s best outcome this year. (Really going out on a limb here.)
You need to keep watchers at the edge of the chair for ratings to go up. You need strong multiplayer appeal, not only Kobe like he is from different planet. Lebron James brings competition that’s why people are more interested this year.