Knicks-Spurs Games 1 and 2 hit best NBA Finals viewership marks this decade

This NBA Finals has been exciting — and is already hitting some strong viewership numbers.Games 1 and 2 between the Knicks and the Spurs were the most-watched NBA Finals games since Games 6 and 7 of the Raptors-Warriors Finals in 2019, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel shared by ESPN.Game 1 led the way, averaging 16.93 million viewers on ABC and peaking at 19.63 million.Two days later, Game 2 followed suit, hitting 19.42 million people in the 11:15 p.m.

ET quarter-hour and averaging 16.63 million viewers throughout the contest.ESPN shared that Game 2’s thriller, a Knicks 105-104 win, was the most-watched program “across all of television” on Friday.Viewership marks are based on Nielsen’s final same-day ratings.The Game 1 numbers are up 90 percent from last year’s series between the Thunder and Pacers, which drew 8.91 million viewers.It is also up 3 percent from that Finals’ Game 7 viewership.

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Bonkers feels like the only appropriate word to describe this season.Game 2 was up 88 percent on last year’s series and marked the most-watched Game 2 since the 2018 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers.If the trend continues, the NBA could be in for a huge ratings boost for the entirety of the Finals.The four Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers Finals during the 2010s are the only other series to draw more than 16 million viewers in Games 1 and 2.Compared to other sports, Game 1’s mark of 19.63 million outpaced the first five games of the 2025 World Series between the Dodgers ...