Adam Silver Calls Nba Ratings For Opening Weekend Of Playoffs 'fantastic'

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that television ratings from the opening weekend of the playoffs were the best the league has seen in about a quarter-century.

Speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports presented by the Sports Business Journal on an array of topics, Silver seemed particularly pleased with the ratings from the first eight games - four on Saturday, four more on Sunday.

"Highest rated opening weekend in 25 years ... so the numbers are fantastic," Silver said before the NBA released the official ratings.

The league said the eight games over the weekend averaged 4.4 million viewers, the highest average in 25 years and a 17 increase over the opening weekend of last season's playoffs.

ESPN added that it was the most-watched opening weekend ever on its platforms, with nearly 6.7 million people on average watching Sunday's Boston-Orlando game on ABC and a peak of just over 8 million for that game.