If you were tuned in to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, you, along with a whole lot of others, just formed part of history as that game tied ESPN's high recorded NBA rating.
According to ESPN Media Zone, Game 7 logged in a 9.1 metered market rating according to Nielsen. This is ESPN's highest recorded NBA rating — tying Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.
Last night's Game 7 peaked with a 12.0 rating in the fourth quarter — which sets the record as the highest-rated quarter for the sports network.
Broken down by local markets, Game 7 also had the following records:
The top five highest-rated local markets were Cleveland (27.6), Boston (21.9), Columbus (15.1), Providence (14.4) and New Orleans (12.9). The 21.9 rating in Boston is the highest-rated NBA Playoffs game ever on ESPN in the market.
Sunday’s telecast is now the highest-rated game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. ESPN’s Conference Finals coverage averaged a 6.3 metered market rating, up 37 percent from the same matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and up 34 percent from its Western Conference Finals coverage in 2017. Overall, the 2018 NBA Playoffs on ESPN – 19 games – averaged a 3.8 metered market rating, up 31 percent from last year.
With the NBA Finals looming, is the record set to be broken once again?