The Boston Celtics' blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday was the least-watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals since 2007 (excluding the two pandemic-era Game 1s), according to Sports Media Watch.
There are three reasons why interest in this series is waning.
schedule
For obvious reasons, the NBA abandoned flexible scheduling for the Finals, instead choosing to fix the games on fixed dates for convenience, but because the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers and the Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, there was a one-week gap between the end of the conference championships (May 30) and the start of the Finals (June 6).
With endless entertainment options these days, some casual or disinterested fans may have decided to wait a week before abandoning the games — a concern many expected, including Mike Francesa, who called the schedule change a “catastrophe” for the NBA after the Western Conference Finals.
match
Coming into the Finals, the Celtics were the overwhelming favorites to win, and with the Celtics having swept the Mavericks 2-0 during the regular season, fans were less interested in watching Game 1.
Meanwhile, after the Celtics' blowout win on Thursday, those same fans have even more reason to believe they made the right decision by not going to the game. Boston has only lost two games in the playoffs and has won eight straight games after a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals. If Game 2 goes the same way, viewership could drop even further.
parity
The NBA will crown a different champion for the sixth straight year, which may be great for the league but could be bad for ratings. Surprisingly, parity may be a big factor in the lack of interest in the Mavericks-Celtics series, as the absence of a dynasty-type team has led to a big drop in viewership.
The Golden State Warriors appeared in five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019, averaging 18.6 million viewers per series, while the Miami Heat appeared in four consecutive Finals from 2011 to 2014, averaging 16.8 million viewers per series.
It's true that fewer people are watching traditional TV, but the numbers are dropping staggeringly: The four NBA Finals games since 2019 have averaged just 10.4 million viewers.
