NBA Overnights Up 75 Percent

The ratings game is simple, really. Take the biggest off-season story involving a player so reviled ESPN created an entire website dedicated to him, throw in the most storied franchise in NBA history, add a dose of Shaq, and voila people watch.

Tuesday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Dwayne Wade‘s Miami Heat scored a 5.6 overnight rating for TNT, up 75 percent from last year’s Celtics-Cleveland Cavilers match. The following game also benefited, as the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets show saw ratings jump 40 percent from 2009, which, oh by the way, was TNT’s biggest Opening Weekend ever.

Okay, so maybe it’s not that simple. Or it is, but the NBA won’t be able to keep up the momentum. But for a bit there (last night), it really was wonderful, wasn’t it?

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