NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA Finals has gained some, but not all of its audience back after last year's trip to the pandemic bubble.
Ratings were way down last year when the Finals were held in October with no live audience watching the L.A. Lakers win the championship.
This year, back closer to a normal time and with a live audience providing atmosphere, viewership was up 41% compared to the first three games of last year. Still, the opening games were down 34% from 2019, the last time there was a “normal” series and Toronto beat Golden State.
