Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James during the first half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. AP
CLEVELAND — The first two games of the NBA Finals are the most-watched since Michael Jordan’s final championship in 1998.
Despite two lopsided outcomes, Golden State’s two home wins over Cleveland averaged 19.6 million viewers, according to numbers released Monday by the Nielsen company.
That’s an increase of 5 percent from the 18.6 million average in 2016.
The Warriors’ 132-113 victory on Sunday drew an average of 20.1 million viewers, up 13 percent from Game 2 last year and the most for a Game 2 since Chicago and Utah met in 1998. The telecast peaked with 23.1 million viewers.
This is the first time two teams have met three straight times in the NBA Finals.