The TV ratings boom that the NBA experienced for much of the playoffs hasn’t carried over to the 2022 NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors have drawn modest, if not disappointing viewership numbers for the first two games of the series.

The NBA Finals have generated their worst ratings through games on a normal schedule since 2007. Viewership for Game 1 and Game 2 is up compared to the Finals of the last two years, which were played later than usual because of the pandemic.

An average of 11.9 million viewers watched both Game 1 and Game 2 between the Celtics and Warriors across ABC and ESPN2. Thursday’s series opener had a 6.4 rating, while the rating for Sunday’s Game 2 dipped to 6.2.

In order to find viewership for a June Finals game that fell below 12 million, you have to go back to the 2007 series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs. An average of 9.21 million people watched the series opener, followed by 8.55 million viewers for Game 2, according to Sports Media Watch.

The first two games of the 2019 NBA Finals drew 13.38 million viewers for Game 1 and 13.89 million viewers for Game 2. The actual ratings for the series between the Warriors and Toronto Raptors were higher than the recorded numbers because Nielsen doesn’t account for Canadian TV viewership.

The 2022 NBA Finals are off to a better start than the 2021 Finals. Only July 6, an average of 8.56 million viewers watched the Phoenix Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the championship series. Two nights later, viewership increased to 9.38 million viewers.

No game in the 2020 NBA Finals, which was played in the league’s Disney bubble from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11, reached 9 million viewers.

The one-sided nature of Sunday’s Game 2 likely affected the ratings. Golden State took a 23-point lead into the fourth quarter and never led by fewer than 19 points over the final 12 minutes of its 107-88 win.

The Celtics beat the Warriors 120-108 in Game 1 with an impressive fourth-quarter comeback. The game peaked with 12.96 million viewers.

Boston hosts Golden State in Game 3 Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 05, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES