Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat was watched by 6.07 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, which was still down from Game 1 of the series.
Previously reported data that showed a 4.5 million viewership was from Fast Affiliate data, an NBA official clarified to Fox News on Monday.
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While the numbers were still down from Game 2 of the Finals last year between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, the NBA Finals is also being played under unique circumstances. There’s no clear-cut reason why the NBA’s numbers have been low.
Friday was marked by President Trump’s admittance to Walter Reed Medical Center as he battled the coronavirus in the middle of a heated election season, which has seen a dramatic increase in viewership for cable news channels. The league is also playing its Finals in October during a number of other sporting events that have come back from a coronavirus-plagued sports season.
But some have consistently pointed to the NBA embracing social justice issues right off the bat of its restarted season in the bubble. The NBA allowed players to wear social justice messages on the back of their jerseys and painted Black Lives Matter on the court for each game that was played at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., while staying silent on other major issues in the world, including atrocities in China.
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For those reasons, and because Games 1 and 2 were relatively uncompetitive, fans appeared to have turned off the NBA.
The LeBron James and Anthony Davis led Lakers defeated the Heat, 124-114. Miami was without star center Bam Adebayo and point guard Goran Dragic for the game. The game led the viewership on Friday night, according to Deadline. But its viewership was still down from Game 1’s 7.4 million, Outkick noted.
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For those reasons, and because Games 1 and 2 were relatively uncompetitive, fans appeared to have turned off the NBA.