Part 3/7:
Yet, contrast this with the Lakers versus Celtics game, which pulled in a staggering 4.6 million viewers. This matchup featured the league's historic franchises and LeBron James, who still remains the biggest draw in the NBA, even at the age of 40. The statistical spike in ratings since the All-Star break is noteworthy; the NBA is averaging around 1.6 million viewers for the season, demonstrating a slight decline of just 2% compared to last year. This flatline in ratings suggests a notable improvement from the dismal viewership earlier in the season, likely due to the on-court excitement overshadowing the incessant off-court controversies.