NBC's coverage Friday of Game Five of the NBA Finals
earned a 12.1/22 preliminary overnight Nielsen rating, up 2%
from last year's deciding Game Five of the Knicks-Spurs
which earned an 11.9/22 (NBC). In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich
writes that listening to NBC's Bob Costas and Doug Collins
during Friday's Game Five "was a treat compared to enduring
the posturing and wall-to-wall chatter of the Hammond-
Walton-Jones trio" (TORONTO STAR, 6/19). The AP's Chris
Sheridan questions why Game Six was not played on Sunday and
writes it's because of "ratings, rest and the relationship
between NBC and the NBA." NBA Senior VP/Communications
Brian McIntyre said NBC "didn't want to have an overlap
situation where the end of the U.S. Open wouldn't be on TV."
NBC Sports VP/Communications Kevin Sullivan, on the
scheduling: "NBC likes it, the NBA likes it. This removes
the potential for a conflict." Sheridan notes that NBC
"also likes the fact that it will have two straight days of
strong ratings [due to Sunday's U.S. Open and tonight's Game
Six] instead of one" (AP, 6/19).
