The 2012 NBA finals were a little lackluster in the high stakes drama department. After losing the first game, the Miami Heat won the next four for the championship. As a young team, the Oklahoma Thunder put up a fight, but were eventually crushed by a series of small, stupid mistakes that became blatantly apparent during Game 5. When Lebron James was asked post-game what he thought about the Heat’s win, he said, “It’s about damn time.” Apparently, fans in Miami thought so too, and came out in droves to show up for their team.
The Heat won a championship back in 2006, but since James joined the team, the assumption he and Dwyane Wade would be able to pull off another championship together has been pretty rampant. Last year’s loss to the Dallas Maverick’s was a bit of a bummer for fan’s, but that did not keep them from tuning in for this year’s series against the Thunder. According to THR, in Miami, Game 5 garnered a 40.3 rating, which translates into the highest ratings ever for an NBA game in Miami’s market.
Overall, what ended up being the final game averaged an 11.8 overnight rating, which does not sound nearly as impressive when stacked up against that 40.3 in the Miami market, but is apparently up 5% overall from last year’s series. It’s always a little more fun when a series stretches out the suspense over a couple of extra games, but in the Heat’s case, I’m certain the team is just happy they finally secured a win.
