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Raptors-Bucks series leads to massive dip in TV ratings

The Eastern Conference Finals features two players who could be considered the NBA’s best in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, a team that posted the league’s best record and point differential (Milwaukee Bucks) and a grizzled opponent looking to make their first NBA Finals (Toronto Raptors).

None of that seems to be a compelling draw for the average viewer in the United States, however.

The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch detailed that Game 2 between the Bucks and Raptors averaged 4.39 million viewers on TNT, down 48 percent year-over-year from when the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers squared off against the Boston Celtics in 2018.

It’s worth noting that Canadian television numbers don’t figure into these calculations but you have to wonder what the Raptors have to do to capture the imagination of the average fan.

After the Raptors took down the Bucks in a double-overtime thriller on Sunday, perhaps the audience will come flocking back for a pivotal Game 4.

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