ABC garnered a 4.2 overnight rating yesterday from 3:30-6:30pm ET for Game 4 of Thunder-Clippers, which saw the Clippers overcome a 22-point deficit to tie the series. That figure is up 10% from a 3.8 rating for the comparable Spurs-Warriors game in '13. The net also averaged a 4.3 overnight on Saturday from 8:15-11:00pm for Heat-Nets Game 3, flat compared to the Pacers-Knicks matchup in '13 (Karp & Carpenter, THE DAILY).
ON THE CLOCK: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes the final minutes of any game "governed by a clock can turn into tense torture." In the NBA, "strategic fouls, tactical adjustments and commercials -- not to mention the myth of the 20-second timeout -- can transform the final moments of a matchup into a subject worthy of a reinvestigation into time by Stephen Hawking." The "choreography of the closing seconds is so ingrained in the NBA mind-set that when teams deviate from it, they can make poor decisions." One of the NBA’s "problems in the playoffs is present in most sports’ postseasons: Games last longer on national networks, which, to cover ever-growing fees for the broadcast rights, must sell more advertising time, expanding each commercial break." NBA games during the regular season "averaged 2 hours 17 minutes," but those broadcast on national television "averaged 2:29." NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn "acknowledged that some games lasted too long." But he insisted the length of the final minute of Nets-Raptors Game 7, which lasted nearly 18 minutes, was "an aberration." ESPN Senior VP & Exec Producer Mark Gross in an e-mail wrote, "It’s always a balancing act for the production team, particularly in end-of-game situations, to ensure we document the live game while integrating presold commercial inventory. In this case, we followed the story lines, captured all game action and took the appropriate breaks" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/12).
