In the early stages of this regular season, the NBA was struggling with a major problem – declining viewership. As of December, their TV ratings were down 17% year-on-year. Obviously, the concerning numbers rang alarm bells among the hoop community. But the Knicks vs Pacers East Finals series has emerged as the saving grace for Adam Silver’s league, skyrocketing its popularity once again.

With the two arch rivals going head-to-head at the biggest stage, the fans are tuning in every night, eager to see who comes out on top. According to TNT Sports US, Thursday night’s Pacers vs Knicks clash averaged 6.7 million viewers. That’s the most-watched East Finals Game 5 since 2018, when LeBron James’ Cavs took on the Celtics in a thrilling seven-game series.

Moreover, Thursday’s viewership peaked at 7.9 million. Turns out, this has been the trend this entire series. Sunday’s Game 3 in Indiana averaged 7.1 million viewers on TNT, the most watched ECF Game 3 since 2015, again starring LeBron. He dominated the Atlanta Hawks that night. The first three games of the ongoing East Finals averaged 6.8 million viewers, and the numbers are showing no signs of going down.

Obviously, a major reason behind this boost is the storied history between the Knicks and Pacers. They had arguably the most heated playoffs rivalry in the 90s, facing each other six times in eight years. Thrice in the Conference Finals. During that run, both teams produced several iconic moments that are forever etched in every fan’s mind. The biggest one – Reggie Miller’s choke sign to Spike Lee after scoring 25 fourth quarter points to beat the Knicks at MSG.

Well, the rivalry has now been revived by the new generation, led by New York’s Jalen Brunson and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton. Last season, their East Semis series produced seven thrilling games, and this year’s East Finals have been equally exciting. That’s why fans are so invested, and TNT’s numbers back it up. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in the West.

Timberwolves vs OKC fails to match Eastern Conference Finals’ viewership proving Magic Johnson’s point

While the Knicks vs Pacers series is thriving in the East, the Timberwolves vs OKC West Finals failed to attract the viewers’ attention the same way. For the first three games of the series, the matchup averaged only 5.26 million viewers. All games aired on ESPN and ABC. Per Sports Media Watch, Game 2 was the least watched West Finals game since 2013.

So, why were Anthony Edwards, the potential future face of the NBA, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP, unable to attract enough eyeballs? Well, one reason could be how lopsided the series was. OKC was clearly the better team, and they proved it by putting the series to bed in five games. But an even bigger reason could be that there was no actual rivalry between the two franchises.

That’s the point Magic Johnson made earlier this year while addressing the NBA’s declining viewership, “They don’t hate each other. I hated Larry and every Celtic… The Celtics and Lakers hated each other. It made for great TV and people tuning in… now everybody’s shaking each other’s hand. Everybody likes each other, won’t go at each other really hard. It’s gotta get back to that. And there’s a reason why the number, viewership is going down.”

Looks like the drastic contrast between the West and East Finals’ viewership is proving Magic’s point. Fans seem more invested in an intense rivalry matchup than seeing two teams battle who do not have much history together. The viewership is expected to rise even higher when Knicks take on the Pacers in Indiana tonight for Game 6, fighting to save their season. Will you tune in?