Watch CBS News

TV Ratings Soar For NBA Finals

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Based solely on the television ratings, it appears that most of the nation enjoys watching the Miami Heat fail.

The Dallas Mavericks' Game 6 win to end the NBA Finals earned the highest preliminary television rating in 11 years. The last Game 6 to draw ratings close to Sunday night's game was in 2000 when the Lakers won the title by beating the Indiana Pacers.

The rating was up 35 percent from Game 6 of the 2006 finals between the same teams, when the Heat clinched a championship. It was up 22 percent from last year's Game 6, when the Lakers routed the Celtics to force Game 7.

The game drew a 39.8 in Dallas and a 36.2 in Miami.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.3

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.