NBA Finals 2014: Game 1 most-tweeted NBA game of the year
By Chris Walder
Twitter users were out in full force during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
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From the air conditioning at the AT&T Center malfunctioning to LeBron James needing to be carried off the court by his teammates due to severe cramping, the world of social media certainly had plenty of juicy storyline’s to discuss.
According to Nielsen Social, more than 3.2 million tweets were registered, making it the most-tweeted NBA game of the year.
It was also the most talked about television program of the day. A staggering 76 percent of all television talk on Twitter was about this game.
14,846,000 fans tuned in to watch the game. That adds up to a 9.0 national rating, according to Nielsen.
That number is up four percent from last year’s Game 1. That opener drew 14,241,000 viewers. The rating also saw a two percent boost from the 8.8 in 2013.
The Spurs capitalized on the absence of James late in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Heat 36-17 in the final period. Despite his injury, James still led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also chipped in six rebounds and three assists.
Tim Duncan led the way for San Antonio with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. He missed just one shot the entire night. Tony Parker had 19 points and eight assists, while Manu Ginobili came off the bench to contribute a double-double of his own, scoring 16 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Game 2 of the series takes place on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.