Warriors vs. Celtics, Must-See TV? NBA Finals Ratings
The bad news is, the New York Knicks fell short of the NBA playoffs this season. The good news is, now the Knicks look towards the NBA Draft, where New York owns the 11th overall pick, to add to a roster that could fulfill postseason ambitions.
Optimism also surrounds a bounce-back season for Julius Randle; the Dallas Fort Worth native was recently seen working out in his home state and looking like he's in the best shape of his career. Randle's situation is also worth watching as rumors about Randle potentially being moved have already started heating up.
While the Knicks remain dormant, the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors are already must-see TV in the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics was the most-watched in three years. Finals ratings are up 37 percent from the 2021 series between Milwaukee and Phoenix, as Boston and Golden State's get-together averaged nearly 12 million viewers in Game 1, according to Nielsen.
After splitting the first two games of the series in San Francisco, the Celtics host the Warriors on Wednesday at TD Garden in a critical Game 3 (9 p.m. ET, ABC). When the series is tied at one game apiece, the team that wins Game 3 has won the championship 82.1 percent of the time (32-7). Golden State was a victim of the last time the trend played in 2019, dropping Game 3 to the Toronto Raptors en route to a six-game loss.
The Celtics haven't dominated at home in the postseason. Though they swept the Brooklyn Nets, Boston went 2-2 in the conference semifinals against Milwaukee and 1-2 when hosting Miami in the next round. However, Boston is 6-0 following a loss this postseason and those wins have often come in dominating fashion. That trend surfaced twice in the last series against the Heat, respectively following up losses in Games 1 and 3 with 25 and 20-point victories.
FUN FACT: Entering Game 3, the Warriors have won at least one road game in each of the last 26 playoff series. That's good for an NBA record streak that began in 2013. Can Golden State continue that streak in the team’s first road game of the Finals?
RECORDS: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (1-1) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (1-1)
WHEN: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 9 p.m. ET
LOCATION: TD Garden — Boston, MA
TV/RADIO: ABC
ODDS: The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites vs. the Warriors.
NEXT: Game 4 is Friday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET in Boston before shifting back to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday, June 13 at 8 p.m. CT. All games will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
• Game 6: Thursday, June 16 at 9 ET, ABC (@ Boston) (If necessary)
• Game 7: Sunday, June 19 at 7 CT, ABC (@ Golden State) (If necessary)
LAST WORD: Jayson Tatum on playing at home, the first Finals game hosted at TD Garden in 12 years.
"I feel like recently we've kind of relaxed at home. Whether we thought because we had home-court advantage, we came out a little more relaxed. But just having that sense of urgency, knowing that we're at home, but that we need to play better at home.”
