WILL NBC'S 17.3/28 SAVE IT FROM LOWEST-RATED FINALS?

          NBC earned a 17.3/28 preliminary overnight Nielsen
     rating for last night's deciding Pacers-Lakers Game Six.  
     The rating peaked with a 21.6/39 in the 11:30pm-12:00am
     half-hour, and earned a 39.2/56 in the L.A. market and a
     48.2/66 in Indianapolis (THE DAILY). 
          LOWEST-RATED SERIES IN DECADES? DAILY VARIETY's Rick
     Kissell writes that prior to last night's game, NBC's Finals
     coverage continued to "post soft ratings."  The series is
     averaging a 10.8 national rating through five games, down 4%
     from '99's 11.3.  Kissell adds that the Game Six final
     rating would have to average "at least" a 13.9 "to enable
     this season's finals to improve on last year's all-time low
     marks" (DAILY VARIETY, 6/20).  USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke
     writes that because of last night's game, NBC "stood a
     chance of surpassing last year's 11.3 Finals rating" for the
     five-game Knicks-Spurs series (USA TODAY, 6/20).