ABC drew a 12.9 overnight rating for the Cavaliers' 95-93 win over the Warriors in OT last night, marking the net's best NBA Finals Game 2 overnight since it acquired rights prior to the '02-03 season. The previous Game 2 record overnight was Pistons-Lakers game 2 in '04 (12.3 rating). Cavaliers-Warriors Game 2 was up 26% from a 10.2 for Spurs-Heat Game 2 last year and Heat-Spurs Game 2 in '13. Heat-Thunder Game 2 in '12 drew an 11.8 overnight on a Thursday night. Last night's game is likely to lead ABC to a 44th straight win in primetime for nights in which it aired an NBA Finals game. Cavs-Warriors Game 2 peaked at a 16.9 rating from 11:00-11:15pm ET. Cleveland-Akron drew a 42.1 local rating and the S.F.-Oakland-San Jose market drew a 31.7 local, marking the best NBA games ever to air in both markets on ABC or ESPN. Through two games, Cavs-Warriors is on pace to be ABC/ESPN's top-rated Finals on record.
FIRST PLACE: ABC ended up with a 10.6 final rating and 17.77 million viewers for Cavaliers-Warriors Game 1 on Thursday night, marking the net's best audience for a Game 1 of the NBA Finals since it acquired TV rights prior to the '02-03 season. Game 1 was up 21% from 14.7 million viewers for the Spurs-Heat opener last year, and up 22% from 14.57 million viewers for Heat-Spurs Game 1 in '13. Game 1 last Thursday also drew 677,669 unique visitors for WatchESPN, marking a Game 1 record for the app (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
BANG UP JOB: The AP's Brian Mahoney noted ABC/ESPN's Mike Breen is "calling his 10th NBA Finals, a record for a TV play-by-play announcer." Dick Stockton "held the old record" at nine NBA Finals, while Marv Albert called eight. Breen said that he "always considers Albert the voice of the NBA." Breen continues to work NBA games for MSG Net, "where he has spent 23 seasons calling Knicks games, first on the radio and then TV." He joined ESPN in '03 and began working the NBA Finals in '06 and "now calls more than 100 games per season" between the two nets. In an era "where TV personalities and their voices are getting louder, Breen doesn't scream or talk your ear off." ESPN President John Skipper said, "He has his finger on the pulse of the NBA and of the viewer, and he's able to take you on an emotional journey through an NBA game." Breen said that doing Knicks games on MSG "has helped his national work, because it allows him more time building relationships with players and coaches" (AP, 6/7).
