In terms of TV, the NBA has taken over Christmas day (which is great because I need something to watch besides A Christmas Story). Unless it falls on a Sunday, the NFL doesn't touch it and the NCAA didn't even put one of its 97 bowl games on Christmas either. Your only other awesome option was an Indiana Jones marathon. And while it was a good day for the NBA, with Heat-Thunder coming in as the fourth highest watched regular season game, but as Yahoo! Sports reports, the game wasn't the ratings bonanza of the marquee games in 2011 and 2010.
Based on overnight numbers from Nielsen, the Oklahoma City-Miami game received the highest rating with a 6.0 share nationally, which also was the fourth highest in history for a regular-season game on ABC. That, however, was down from the Chicago Bulls-Los Angeles Lakers game from last year and the Lakers-Heat game in 2010.
Considering last season Christmas was the first day of the lockout shortened regular season, it makes sense that numbers were higher than usual last year. As for the year before, well, can you think of a more hyped game than the newly formed Miami Heat and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers? Good luck. That was the Evil Empire facing against the Evil-er Empire for 99 percent of NBA fans. Judging by how both teams have played recently, we're almost sure to see this rematch on Christmas Day next year. The biggest questions will be what alternative jerseys the NBA comes up with and what awful colored Jordans will Russell Westbrook be wearing.
Photo: Total Pro Sports.com
