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The NBA playoffs capitalized on historic viewership from a holiday weekend to deliver strong growth. The first round of the postseason averaged 3.7 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and TNT, up 6% from last year’s 3.5 million total, according to Nielsen. The total was driven, in part, by the 4.4 million average of the league’s eight-game opening weekend, which fell on the Easter holiday, the NBA’s most-watched opening weekend in 25 years and up 17% from last year.
The Warriors’ win delivered the third-largest audience of the postseason thus far, behind Lakers-Timberwolves Game 4 the previous weekend (7.35M) and Magic-Celtics Game 1 on Easter (6.69M), both of which aired on ABC.
Fueled by Easter Sunday out-of-home viewing, Sunday’s Magic-Celtics first round NBA playoff Game 1 averaged 6.69 million viewers on ABC — trailing only Nets-Celtics on Easter 2022 (6.90M) as the most-watched opening weekend NBA playoff game since the current media rights deal began in 2002. (Pending results for Sunday night’s games on TNT.) Viewership increased 44 percent from Mavericks-Clippers in the same window last year (4.66M). Earlier in the day, Oklahoma City’s 51-point rout of the Grizzlies averaged 4.45 million — up 18 percent from Heat-Celtics last year (3.78M). ABC also averaged 5.84 million for Timberwolves-Lakers Game 1 on Saturday night, up 3% from Lakers-Nuggets in the same year ago window (5.65M).
As a nod to Anthony Edwards' epic comment, Walz's office dropped in the ultimate Easter egg. Together, the first letters of each proclamation point spell out: "B-R-I-N-G-Y-A-A-S-S."
Bring it on Dallas. #WolvesBack pic.twitter.com/1DoTgdGL5C
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) May 22, 2024
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J.R. Smith, who played alongside Anthony in Denver and New York, goes down as his favorite teammate. Asked about his favorite moments as a pro, he mentions two: the first time he was introduced to the Madison Square Garden crowd as a Knick back in 2011, and the incredible 43-point Easter game he had at MSG against the Bulls in ’12, when he hit contested game-tying and game-winning triples from the same spot on the right wing.
Karl-Anthony Towns seemed very upset in the locker room postgame during interviews. He clarified that it wasn't about the game and instead about playing on Easter. His mother passed on this day three years ago. pic.twitter.com/NBhJHZ3GPv
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 9, 2023
Chet Holmgren: The league crazy today, happy Easter
Following the club’s game against San Antonio on Saturday, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch addressed the team’s undecided playoff fate with just one game remaining on the regular season schedule. When talking to the media, Finch noted that while a lot is riding on their Easter Sunday affair, he believes that the Wolves are in as good of a position as they can ask for at this point in time. “Every game has felt like a playoff game but there’s a lot at stake tomorrow,” Finch said. “We’re at home. That’s all we can ask for and it’s gonna be a [tough one].”
Whether those checks will come from the Heat or elsewhere, possibly even as part of a sign-and-trade transaction with another team, make it a particularly intriguing offseason. “So, basically what I’m saying is, there will be no free-agency Easter eggs dropped in the podcast,” he said, before dropping somewhat of a breadcrumb. “With that being said, are there plans to have maybe some sort of an announcement included in the podcasts? Now that’s a different story. “So make sure you like and subscribe for future episodes,” he said, before making his Wojnarowski reference.
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The doors of Fiserv Forum have been locked since the NBA suspended its season on March 11. Berg’s family had 12 tickets to the Bucks game that was scheduled for Easter Sunday — a purchase that came close to $700. She reached out to Vivid Seats, which sold the tickets, and asked for a refund. She was denied. The reason? “My husband got an email from the vendor that said that the game was in postponement status,” Berg said. “I think it’s absurd.”
Earlier today, Houston Rockets staff members distributed Easter meals to frontline workers at Memorial Hermann hospitals in Greater Heights and Katy. The meals were prepared and donated by two of Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta’s local establishments, The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston and La Griglia restaurant.
Back inside the lavish hotel quarters, Harrison digs both his thumbs into Griffin’s lower back, instructing the big man to lift his torso like an upward-facing-dog yoga position. Griffin is wearing a blue Pistons hoodie, grey Jordan sweat shorts and two full-length compression sleeves on each leg to enhance his recovery from the night before. He credits Detroit’s training staff for welcoming an outside practitioner like Harrison, while some organizations would scoff at foreign hands. ... Detroit conversely invites Harrison onto the team plane, inside its pregame locker room and the team’s medical staff will even sometimes ask him to work on other players. “If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t have him around as much as I do,” Griffin says. “He probably knows more about my body then he should,” the All-Star quips. Harrison has celebrated Easter with Griffin’s family. His son has swam in the Griffin’s backyard pool with the superstar’s own children. “He’s been around for a lot,” Griffin says. Either Harrison or his associate Erik Phillips will meet with Griffin roughly 21 days each month. They gameplan sessions two months in advance, mapping where the Pistons schedule overlaps with Harrison’s and Phillips’. It’s all diagrammed in a google calendar each member of the AHF team has access to.
New Orleans’ first home playoff victory since Easter of 2011 was also memorable for the high-decibel support of 18,551 fans, a sellout. Normally fairly stoic on the court, Mirotic raised his arms to the crowd after a few of his 12 baskets, acknowledging the boost. “It was just amazing to play at home with all this crowd,” said Mirotic, who had inexplicably struggled at home during the regular season, but has been excellent everywhere lately. “They were just great tonight. They really helped us with energy and everything. They deserve this success. Hopefully they’re going to be even better next game, and we’ll be better.”
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