Miami Heat Among NBA Elite in TV Ratings, Attendance
The Miami Heat may not be the same entertaining juggernaut they were of the last four years, but they are still among the NBA's most potent franchises in local television ratings and attendance this season.
Despite dropping 27 percent of their viewership from the previous season they ranked fourth in the league at the midway point with a 4.99 rating, behind the Spurs (8.08), Cavs (7.29), and Thunder (6.38), according to Sports Business Daily.
Last year, as the defending back-to-back champions headlined by LeBron James, they ranked third (6.85 rating) behind the Thunder and Spurs.
As for attendance, although South Florida receives a lot of flack in regards to fan support, the Heat are drawing the fourth best average crowd in the NBA this year in percentage of seats filled, according to ESPN. The team is seven games under .500.
Those ignorantly labeling Heat fans as bandwagoners may want to put their pitchforks away. Their claims have been proven hollow.
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