The numbers are in, and they show that the city of Boston is tuning out the 2011 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. Boston was the lowest rated of all 27 NBA television markets for Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Boston was the lowest rated of the 27 NBA television markets for Tuesday's Heat/Mavericks Game 4, with a mere 4.5 rating. The second-lowest rated market was Milwaukee, with a comparably massive 6.7. (via Sports Media Watch)
During the first three games of the series, Boston was the second-lowest market behind Minneapolis-St. Paul. Boston registered a 5.4 for Game 1, a 5.6 for Game 2 and 6.2 for Game 3 of the Finals.
As Sports Media Watch points out, the lack of interest in the NBA Finals can not be solely attributed to the Boston Bruins playing in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. For the past decade, the interest in basketball just hasn't been there.
During the 2000s, Boston and nearby Providence were routinely among the lowest rated metered markets for the NBA Finals. Boston finished dead last among metered markets in 2004 (4.3) and 2006 (3.3), and second-to-last in 2001 (6.8) and 2005 (4.0). Only Providence rated lower in '01 and '05.
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