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When it comes to any sport, the most exciting moments always happen when the stakes are the highest. For the NBA, higher stakes in the playoffs certainly make for better competition, and heavy competition makes for great TV viewership.
It’s important to remember what makes these historic sports moments so special and what drives viewership upwards. Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll describe five of the most live-watched NBA Finals games and what moments defined each game in history.
By Game 5 of this series, the Chicago Bulls came back and won three games after starting 1-0. The game was at the Bull’s home court, where the Jazz would hold a narrow lead going into the fourth quarter.
With over 30.5 million live viewers, many analysts thought the Bulls would easily put this game to bed and end the series 4-1, but the Jazz’s Toni Kukoc netted 30 points to prevent Chicago and Jordan from winning the championship on their home floor. This would lead up to the most watched NBA game of all time; Game 6 of Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz.
Another game featuring the legendary Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz, where reports before the game stated Jordan had the flu from food poisoning the night before.
With over 31 million people concurrently watching, not too many were surprised to see Jordan finish the game with 38 points, helping the Bulls win their fifth NBA championship since 1991. Even with Utah at their best, they failed to overcome Michael Jordan at his most vulnerable.
Digressing from Michael Jordan and his legacy, this Game 7 between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would be a hallmark in basketball history for viewership. It is the only game on our list with over 31 million views without Jordan appearing on the court, and it could be one of the biggest championship upsets in history.
Regular Season MVP Stephen Curry and fellow Warriors would start their first four games in the series 3-1, eventually losing the next two games to an unstoppable LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. This much-anticipated Game 7 accumulated over 31 million live-viewers and ended late with a set of unexpected plays leading to a massive block from LeBron James and a steal from Kyrie Irving, causing the Cavaliers to earn their first Championship in NBA history.
Over 32 million people tuned in to watch a potential 3-peat that would be the first for Chicago in over three decades. Heading into this game, the Suns were on a hot win streak and took Game 5 away from the Bulls at their home court.
While Game 6 was extremely close and competitive, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant would come away as champions by running a beautiful play in the dying seconds of the game. Jordan would end the game with 33 points, putting Chicago back in the sports history books and bolstering overall NBA viewership by a large amount for decades to come.
The NBA Finals Game 6 match between the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls will go on to be the #1 most-watched NBA finals event in the history of basketball, with approximately 35.5+ million viewers. It was potentially Jordan’s last NBA game before announcing retirement, and Utah had come in with heavy momentum after winning Game 5 away at the Bull’s home court.
With the Jazz holding possession of the ball and only up by one point with seconds left, this game was completely down to the wire. Jordan managed to swiftly steal the ball off Jazz’s Karl Malone, take it upcourt, then shoot inside the paint with 5.2 seconds left to secure the Chicago Bulls second ‘3-peat’ in history and solidifying Michael Jordan’s name in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.