New York Knicks Win NBA Championship in Comeback Victory, Ratings Hit 28-Year High

(Central News Service, New York, June 16 — Compiled foreign reports) According to Nielsen, the recent NBA Finals matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs attracted an average of 20.6 million viewers, marking the highest viewership for an NBA Finals since 1998.

Reuters reported that the Knicks won Game 5 on the evening of the 13th with a 94-90 victory, securing the championship. The game drew an average of 24.5 million viewers on ESPN and ABC, setting the highest viewership record for a Game 5 since 1998.

In 1998, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to defeat the Utah Jazz, capturing their sixth championship in franchise history. That six-game series averaged 29.04 million viewers.

During Game 5, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, leading the Knicks to a comeback after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter. At that moment, viewership peaked at 33 million.

Since ABC and ESPN began broadcasting the NBA Finals in 2003, this year’s ratings have reached a historic high. It is also the third time since 1999 that the NBA Finals’ average viewership has surpassed 20 million.

In contrast, last year’s NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, which went to seven games and was won by the Thunder, averaged only 10.31 million viewers. (Compiled by: Chen Yuting) 1150617