Behind The ScenesNBA

Immediately after the Cavs’ historic win, inside ESPN’s #NBAFinals coverage on ABC

Record 30.8M viewers watch NBA Finals Game 7

Last night’s NBA Finals Game 7 on ABC drew a massive average audience of 30,799,000 viewers (p2+), making it the most-watched NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, according to Fast Nationals from Nielsen. In addition, it generated a 15.7 U.S. household rating, making it the highest-rated NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. ABC’s Game 7 viewership peaked with 44,511,000 viewers and a 22.5 U.S. rating from 10:30-10:40 p.m. ET.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Sunday night’s NBA Finals Game 7 will go down as one of the most riveting sporting events of this era.

ESPN’s production of the epic showdown between Cleveland and host Golden State (airing on ABC) masterfully captured the event’s magnitude, showcasing the dramatic moments, one after another.

The telecast of the Cavaliers’ historic NBA Finals victory generated a record rating (see sidebar), adding to the long list of memorable storylines surrounding the game.

In the moments immediately following the game’s conclusion, Front Row captured behind-the-scenes video from inside the production truck outside Oracle Arena. It shows the production team in the midst of documenting the immediate reactions and Cavaliers celebrations that followed the all-time classic matchup.

Additionally, Front Row caught up with some key members of the ESPN NBA team to get their “in the moment” reactions, including senior coordinating producer Tim Corrigan (who produced his fourth NBA Finals Game 7), game director Jimmy Moore and programming manager Ashley O’Connor.

EDITOR’s NOTE: The Front Row interviews were conducted in the immediate aftermath of NBA Finals Game 7. As a result, it was still light out in the Pacific Time Zone, where the game took place.

Josh Krulewitz captured the video above.

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