Game 7 of Heat-Celtics series rates No. 3 among TNT’s watched NBA games

Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals did gangbusters in the ratings for TNT on Monday.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics entered that game with the possibility of Boston making NBA history by overcoming a 3-0 series deficit. Miami thwarted that attempt by winning 103-84 and eliminating the Celtics.

The game averaged 12 million viewers and peaked at 14.2 million. Hence, Game 7 was TNT’s third-most-watched NBA game since it teamed up with the league in the 2002-03 season. 

Now it’s on to the NBA Finals, with the Heat playing the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday on ABC. The Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in the Western Conference finals.

Whether the finals end up matching the viewer engagement of the Eastern Conference finals might depend on whether the series goes seven games. 

“Can Miami really give Denver a tough series? You want seven games. You get three more games, that’s always preferable,” Sports Media Watch publisher Jon Lewis told The Athletic.

If Monday’s strong ratings in Game 7 of Miami-Boston hold going into the championship series, then social media’s joking predictions about ESPN’s disappointment at the matchup may end up being moot.

Can’t wait for ESPN to discuss a hypothetical Celtics-Lakers Finals during Countdown before Game 3.

— Gary Nelson (@GatorGary165) May 30, 2023

If the results of the conference finals had flipped, this would have been the 13th finals matchup between the Celtics and Lakers, echoing the battles between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, or Kevin Garnett against Kobe Bryant.

While the Celtics lead the Lakers, 9-3, in head-to-head matchups, both teams have 17 NBA titles, and that tiebreaker would have added more narrative fuel to the fire.

Instead, the Nuggets and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic will play in their first NBA Finals, while Miami aims to capture a fourth Larry O’Brien Trophy.