"No surprise here terrible Finals" - NBA fans react as Game 4 viewership stats go viral
Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets was a competitive match until the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Denver’s flurry pushed their lead to 17 points, their largest in the game, in the last three minutes of the contest.
Despite the superb action right from tip-off, some fans missed the fiery back-and-forth action. The Nuggets’ advantage seemed to have turned off basketball fanatics, with 10.41 million people reportedly watching Denver take a 3-1 series lead.
The 2023 Finals Game 4 had the second-lowest viewership since the 2007 Finals Game 4 😳
Game 4 of the 2020 Finals remains the lowest
(Via @awfulannouncing ) https://t.co/TIj2UGq0u2
Basketball fans reacted to the low number of views:
"No surprise here terrible finals"
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing no surprise here terrible finals
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing Maybe if they play their games at reasonable fucking times and days. Had a whole ass slot yesterday where nothing was going and and yet they rather play on Monday night 8 central time
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing Fans- the nba rigs the playoffs..
Denver vs Miami - finals
Fans - this finals sucks im not gonna watch it..
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing One of the best center to ever play is leading it and people don’t like it. Crazy.
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing There is no suspense
Denver is going to win
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing So basically no one cares about the Heat
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing i mean they can say we casuals but it’s just boring af to watch
nothing really amazing be happening
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing People just realize Denver is better
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing To be fair, nobody’s wants to watch Jimmy Butler shoot 75 free throws every finals game. It’s just not exciting basketball. Not surprised.
@TheNBACentral @awfulannouncing Most boring finals ever😴
Per Sports Media Watch, Game 4 of the 2020 Finals had 7.70 million views. Game 3 was the worst during that span with only 6.08 million while Game 2 had 6.78 million.
Last year’s NBA Finals featuring the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics had Game 3 having the lowest views, with 11.52 million basketball fans watching the game. The highest number of views since 2015 was Game 7 of the 2016 Finals between the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Around 31.02 million fans saw LeBron James complete a 3-1 comeback to pull off an upset for the ages against the Warriors. No other game has topped 30 million since 1998. During that year, Game 6 between the Utah Jazz and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls garnered a staggering 35.89 million views, the most-watched game in NBA history.
Never forget when MJ hit “The Shot” and secured the @chicagobulls’ 6th NBA championship. 🏆
Bulls vs. Jazz, 1998 NBA Finals Game 6, Pop Up Edition - 5:30pm ET on NBA TV! https://t.co/sRwLaU4bD2
It remains to be seen how many fans are watching Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Nuggets and the Heat as it unfolds.
The San Antonio Spurs vs the New Jersey Nets 2003 NBA Finals remains the least watched championship round
In 2003, a methodical San Antonio Spurs side behind Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker eliminated the three-peat LA Lakers. San Antonio disappointed millions of fans who were expecting Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to continue their dominance.
The Spurs met the New Jersey Nets that were led by Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles and Dikembe Mutombo in the Finals. They hit 11.57 million viewers in Game 6, which was the highest in the series. About 8.06 million watched Game 2, the lowest viewership in the series.
Tim Duncan was unstoppable as he led San Antonio to the 2003 title 💪
Nets vs. Spurs, 2003 NBA Finals Game 6 - 4:30pm ET on NBA TV! https://t.co/z4jFnbUuMG
In 2002, when the Nets faced the Lakers in the Finals, they peaked at 16.56 million in Game 4. Despite the lopsided series in favor of the Hollywood team, fans still watched the action. The lowest number of views in the championship round was 14.05 million, which happened in Game 2.
Without the star power of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, who went to the previous three Finals, 2003’s Spurs-Nets series turned out to be a dud.
Also read: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says there is a real chance to have a new franchise by 2024