Well, at least one aspect of the Kobe-Michael Jordan comparisons are valid. According to the Associated Press, Thursday night’s game 7 of the NBA Finals drew a massive overnight rating of 18.2. (The game drew a 39.7 rating in Los Angeles, and a 33.9 rating in Boston.)
The 18.2 rating means that game 7 was the most-watched NBA game since game six of the 1998 Finals, which was Michael Jordan’s last game with the Chicago Bulls and the last time he won an NBA championship. That game drew a 22.9 rating. This is obviously great news for the NBA, especially with lockout looming after next season. It would have been nice if game seven was a little less of an ugly game, but at least a lot of people were watching.