Pacers-Celtics most-watched ECF opener since LeBron-era Cavs

Far from a ratings drag, the Indiana Pacers’ return to the Eastern Conference Finals delivered a six-year viewership high.

Tuesday’s Pacers-Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 averaged 6.43 million viewers across ESPN (6.28M) and ESPN2 (151K) — 6.48 million including ESPN Deportes (47K) — marking the largest audience for Game 1 of the ECF since Cavaliers-Celtics on ABC in 2018, the most recent East final to feature LeBron James (7.22M).

The Celtics’ overtime win increased 8% from Heat-Celtics on TNT last year (5.95M) and 6% from the same matchup in 2022, the last time ESPN carried the East final (6.07M).

Compared to last year’s conference final opener on ESPN — Lakers-Nuggets in the West — viewership declined 13% from 7.36 million.

Game 1 delivered the third-largest audience of the NBA Playoffs thus far, with Indiana having played in two of the top three. The Pacers’ Game 7 win over the Knicks Sunday ranks second (6.45M) and Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 7 the same day holds the top spot (8.41M).

The sixth-seeded, #25 market Pacers are not a particularly prominent team, but have played themselves into high-profile windows. In addition to their ongoing conference final run, Indiana made it to the NBA In-Season Tournament Final against the Lakers in December — a game that finished as the second-most watched of the entire regular season.