(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
On Thursday night, the NBA Finals officially got underway with the Boston Celtics playing host to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden, with the expectation being that Jayson Tatum and company would come out on top at home to take a 1-0 series lead.
Although the Mavericks have been arguably the most resilient team in the NBA playoffs thus far and have defied the odds time and time against during this postseason, Doncic and company didn’t have the magic that they did in the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, as they were blown out on the road, 107-89.
As a result of the loss, the Mavericks are now trailing to start the series, and some believe the Celtics might cruise to an NBA-record 18th NBA title, as Dallas might not be up to the task of taking on a team that has only lost two games in the postseason thus far.
Interestingly enough, the Finals don’t seem to be drawing the viewers that they normally do, even though it is a highly anticipated matchup with a lot of star power on both teams.
According to Front Office Sports, Game 1 was the least-watched opening game of the Finals since 2007, not counting the two seasons marred by COVID.
Game 1 of the Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals averaged 10.99 million viewers on ABC.
It’s the least-watched opening game of the NBA Finals outside of the COVID seasons (2020 and 2021) since 2007.
(h/t @paulsen_smw) pic.twitter.com/L9GmRnilCA
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 7, 2024
Obviously, this can change quickly as the series pushes forward for at least three more games if the Celtics manage to pull off the sweep, but it is interesting that this matchup wouldn’t draw more attention.
Game 2 of the Finals will once again take place at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday.
The Celtics are looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before the game shifts to the American Airlines Center in Dallas for Game 3 and Game 4.
The post Report Reveals Surprising Ratings For NBA Finals Game 1 appeared first on The Cold Wire.