Highest Ratings Since Chicago Bulls Won Title in 1998

The highly anticipated third straight battle between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals is drawing very strong ratings for ABC, though can the Cavaliers make the series competitive?

According to ABC, the first two games of the series drew an average of 19.2 million viewers, which would signal the strongest ratings for the NBA Finals since Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to a title in 1998.

The problem, however, is that the Golden State Warriors have won the first two games of the series and could potentially run away with things. After all, the Warriors added Kevin Durant (one of the best players in the league) in the offseason to go along with players such as Steph Curry and haven't yet lost in the playoffs. In fact, there is a very real possibility that the Warriors could go 16-0 on the post-season.

That being said, the series is set to return to Cleveland tonight, where the Cavaliers will be looking to make things competitive. At the end of the day, the Cavaliers still have the best player in the league in the form of LeBron James, and he will be trying his best to make the series a close one.

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The NBA is enjoying a modern day version of the classic Boston Celtics/Los Angeles Lakers rivalry, as LeBron James and the Cavaliers are squaring off against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the third straight year. In 2015, the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in 7 games, while last year the Cavaliers returned the favor.

The dominance of the Warriors and Cavaliers this post-season (prior to the two teams reaching the finals, they lost one post-season game between the two of them) has called into question the concept of parity in the NBA. Recent changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement have addressed some of the issues (for instance, it is now much more financially enticing for a veteran superstar player to stay with his team rather than leave via free agency), though with Kevin Durant reportedly willing to accept less money to stay with the Warriors, the Warriors will likely remain a very dominant club for some time.

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Ratings tend to rise if a series is more competitive, which is why the NBA and ABC are both surely hoping that the Cavaliers manage to win Game 3 in Cleveland later this evening.

Source: ABCNews.com - ABC is off and running with NBA Finals

Filed under: General Knowledge