Without LeBron James in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005, TV ratings are expected to take a hit. When Michael Jordan played his last NBA Finals game in 1998, 36 million fans watched. A year later, without Jordan, no Finals game had more than 17 million people watching it.
One year later, in 1999, an average of 16 million people watched the NBA Finals between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. No game in that series drew more than 17 million.The 2018 Finals in which the Golden State Warriors swept LeBron and the Cavaliers averaged 17.6 million viewers. The lowest ratings during the LeBron Era came in 2014 when only 15.5 million average viewers watched the San Antonio Spurs beat James and the Heat in five games. The highest ratings came in 2017 when 20.
He added:"I think the more interesting thing is when he doesn't have a great team and you kind of go as a fan, 'What's he going to pull out of his hat this time to keep these guys in it?'" "NBA ratings are down this year, partly due to LeBron’s move to a West Coast time slot," Dorfman said."Compounding the problem is no playoff action for big market teams in Chicago and New York, plus some fan wear-out for the Warriors’ dominance. But the postseason could be boosted by new star power, and a more competitive Finals between the Warriors and Philly, Boston or even small-market Milwaukee.
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