When the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns emerged victorious from their respective conferences, there was cause for concern. Why? Well, both are considered small-market teams, so the expectation was the TV ratings for the NBA Finals would be disappointing. Such an expectation was wrong to begin with.
The NBA Finals Game 4 ratings were revealed Thursday evening, and they’re strong. It drew in 10.254 million viewers, per John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal. That is up 36 percent compared to last year’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
Despite the significant improvement, this year’s Game 4 ratings are 21 percent lower than the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raports. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.
If anything, the Bucks-Suns Game 4 ratings prove the NBA doesn’t need to rely on the usual juggernauts to play well. All you need is two teams that play beautiful, hard-nosed basketball.
As @AustinKarp points out, last night’s NBA Game 4 is up 36% from last year’s Game 4 in the bubble.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) July 15, 2021
Wednesday night’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals was absolutely terrific. It came down to the wire, and the Bucks emerged victorious to even the series at two games apiece.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were sensational, as was Phoenix’s Devin Booker. Chris Paul, on the other hand, had his worst game of the postseason. He’ll need to bounce back in Game 5 for the Suns to retake the series lead.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals takes place this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
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