Game 5 was highest-rated NBA Finals game since MJ's last title
So much for a lack of parity ruining the league.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers generated a 16.0 metered market rating, making it the highest-rated Finals game since 1998, according to a statement from ABC.
That was the year Jordan captured his sixth and final championship by stealing the ball from Karl Malone, then racing up the court to nail his iconic game-winning shot over Byron Russell.
The common thread from 1998 to 2017 is that both Finals featured an overabundance of star players. Jordan was flanked by Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman while taking on Malone and John Stockton. Two decades later there was LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green all sharing the floor.
Game 5 peaked with an 18.8 rating near the end of the fourth quarter, and ratings were up 13 percent from both Game 5 of the 2015 and the 2016 Finals. It was also the second-most streamed game ever with 2,144,200 unique viewers tuning in.