Even When Games Matter, NBA Finals Ratings Continue To Suck

Taking a greater step back than Draymond Green this NBA Finals series are the TV ratings, which just came in for Game 5 between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics.

According to TVLine, Monday night's tie-breaking contest garnered 13.025 million viewers, a massive step down from Game 5's of the past and other games in the NBA's most-watched series of the year.

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Compared to 2018's Game 5 between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, viewership for this year's championship dropped by over 5 million viewers (18.34 million).

Even Game 2's in the past boasted stronger audiences than this year's series, which improves with every game but still fails to launch.

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"In 2018, Game 2 garnered nearly 18.5 million viewers, nearly 19.7 million in 2017, about 17.5 million in 2016, and back up to about 19.2 in 2015," OutKick's Cortney Weil relayed last week.

2022 NBA Finals
Game 1: 11.9 million/
Game 2: 11.9 million
Game 3: 11.5 million
Game 4: 12.1 million
Game 5: 13.025 million

Even when the games matter, NBA Finals ratings continue to suck.

The NBA's gradual decline in viewership over the past several seasons has run concurrently with several topics debated around the Association, including its avid political messaging during broadcasts, waning interest in matchups, and a strained connection with a critical portion of the NBA's viewership in China.

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With the winner of Finals Game 5's going on to win the championship 73.3% of the time, a lack of audience for a vital point in the series proves daunting for the NBA as even legacy franchises fail to excite an audience when woke politics are in the way.

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