NBC's telecast of Sunday's Game Four of the Bulls-Jazz
NBA Finals drew a 16.9 national rating. NBC estimates that
51 million viewers watched Game Four, making it the most-
watched game of the series. The four-game cumulative
average rating for the series is 15.5, making it the third-
highest rated series through four games, trailing the Bulls-
Suns in '93 (17.1) and last year's Bulls-Sonics (16.1) (THE
DAILY). In Chicago, the game earned a 45.4/69, in Salt
Lake, it earned a 49.7/76 (NBC). In Chicago, the SUN-TIMES'
Jim O'Donnell notes that "barring a dramatic Game 7 in prime
time Sunday," the series will "likely" end up the "third-
most-watched" NBA Finals ever (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/10).
COVERING THE COVERAGE: Reviews of NBC's coverage of the
NBA Finals continue this morning. In N.Y., Bob Raissman
writes NBC "succeeded in making Game 4 of the NBA Finals one
of the more memorable telecasts of the season" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 6/10). Also in N.Y., Richard Sandomir called NBC's
production "very strong" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/10). But in Dallas,
Barry Horn writes that NBC analyst Bill Walton's "four full
games of trying to stick out have placed him well behind
[Marv] Albert and [Matt] Goukas, who are having a standout
series" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/10).