CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 07: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 7, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kyle Terada – Pool/Getty Images)
NBABy Alex Putterman on

The NBA Finals have been universally derided as dull and lopsided, but that’s not stopping millions of fans from tuning in.

Game 3 of the Cavs-Warriors series Wednesday delivered a 13.4 metered market rating on ABC, up 14 percent from Game 3 of the 2016. According to ESPN, the Finals are averaging a 12.8 metered market rating through three games, which is up slightly from last year.

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Though Golden State and Cleveland made for an extremely enticing Finals matchup heading into the series, it’s a bit surprising to see the ratings holding strong given how the games have gone. With an anticlimactic first three rounds of playoffs as a lead-in, Games 1 and 2 of the Finals were huge Warriors blowouts, essentially over by the fourth quarter. Still, the games drew large enough audiences to make the Finals the most watched through two games since 1998.

Entering Game 3, it would have been fair to assume a hefty dip in viewership, given how lopsided the series had been to that point. But as it turned out, the game was much closer than the first two had been, with Golden State prevailing in the finals minute. Though we can’t make any definitive proclamations without full ratings data, it seems from the metered market rating that it delivered a hefty audience.

Wednesday’s game also set streaming records for a Game 3, according to ESPN, with nearly 2 million unique viewers.

The Warriors and Cavs will play again Friday, with Golden State looking for a sweep. America apparently isn’t bored of the Finals just yet.

UPDATE: Game 3 viewership numbers are in, and they’re impressive—up substantially from Game 3 in 2015 and 2016.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

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