A comeback that left Larry David speechless courtside at Madison Square Garden proved to be ratings gold for TNT.
Game 1 of the last Conference Final series that TNT will air for at least the next 11 seasons got off to about as great of a start as possible. The Indiana Pacers’ absurd late-fourth-quarter comeback win over the New York Knicks averaged 6.6 million viewers on TNT. It was the most-watched Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 since 2018 when LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Boston Celtics in a game that aired on ABC (7.24 million viewers).
.@NBAonTNT‘s instant classic between @Pacers & @nyknicks averaged 6.6 million viewers, the most watched ECF, Game 1 since 2018. Viewership peaked with 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
ECF, Game 2 coverage tomorrow night on TNT, truTV & @SportsonMax starts at 7 p.m. ET. https://t.co/6J0FNrh9Hj
— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) May 22, 2025
The audience peaked at 8.5 million in the 11 p.m. ET quarter-hour, coinciding with the game’s thrilling finish, which included a ridiculous buzzer-beater by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton to send the game into overtime.
Compared to last season, when the Pacers took on the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, viewership increased by 2% (6.4 million viewers). That series aired across both ESPN and ESPN2. Interestingly, Game 1 of last year’s Western Conference Finals on TNT averaged a larger audience, 7.02 million viewers for Mavericks-Timberwolves, per Sports Media Watch.
Wednesday’s game proved to be the complete opposite from a ratings perspective than Tuesday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on ESPN. The opener in the Minnesota Timberwolves-Oklahoma City Thunder series averaged just 5.36 million viewers across the ESPN networks, making it the least-watched conference finals game since Game 5 of the Hawks-Bucks series in 2021.
As is usually the case when it comes to sports viewership, the quality of the game matters. Games that are close down the stretch, like Wednesday night’s game, tend to rate. Games that get out of hand, like Tuesday’s game, tend to flop.
Of course, the Eastern Conference Finals is buoyed this year by including the New York Knicks, who bring with them the New York City media market.
Game 1 may prove to be a viewership spark for the remainder of the series.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.