The Great Canadian Ratings Report: At long last, NBA makes a splash in Canada

The NBA has long dreamed of becoming a factor outside the United States and, in some cases, has realized that dream.

But Canada has always been a tough nut to crack for the NBA, partly because of the league's relatively brief history here, partly because the game must always compete with hockey and partly because the Canadian teams have generally been awful.

But that is starting to change, thanks mainly to the Toronto Raptors, who are no longer awful but in fact pretty good.

After an impressive run in the playoffs, the Raptors created enough interest to send the NBA final series into the stratosphere.

An average of 1.2 million Canadians watched Game 7 of the Cleveland-Golden State series on TSN Sunday, capping off the most-watched NBA final in Canadian history. In all, 4.3 million people watched at least some of the game.

Admittedly, a 1.2 million average may not seem to be that big a deal compared with the Stanley Cup playoffs or a Toronto Blue Jays playoff run or a CFL playoff game. It also didn't match the 1.5 million the Raptors drew in their playoff finale.

But this was a game involving no Canadian team and that 1.2 million doesn't really tell the whole story.

That figure doesn't include the unknown number of Canadians who chose to watch the game on ABC. Since the series bounced around between TSN and Sportsnet in Canada, odds are a significant number of Canadians watched on ABC rather than trying to guess which Canadian channel had the game.

Basketball haters might point out that the game's rating actually matched a mid-season battle between the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, but we're talking about relative numbers here.

The NBA has produced big numbers on rare occasions -- the Kobe era, the Jordan dynasty -- but not with any consistency.

The final series attracted 35 per cent more viewers than the previous record, set in 2010 when the L.A. Lakers took on the Boston Celtics.

Overall, the series averaged 870,000 viewers for the four games TSN broadcast and 606,000 for the three on Sportsnet. What that gap says isn't quite clear, though more than likely it was just luck of the draw.

The real test of basketball's appeal will come next fall. Last fall, the Raptors saw their ratings drop despite an improved record. If they stagnate or -- heavens -- drop again, this will have proven to be an illusion. But if they grow, then the NBA has reached a new level in Canada after two decades.

The NBA wasn't the only sport to experience a breakthrough last week. The UFC's Fight Night bout from Ottawa on Saturday averaged 273,000 viewers and cracked the weekend top 10, a big step for the sport in Canada. 

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language television from the past weekend, according to Numeris overnight ratings:

1. NBA, Cavaliers at Warriors, Sunday, TSN: 1,200,000 (ABC audience not measured)

1. MLB, Blue Jays at Orioles, Friday, Sportsnet: 1,200,000

3. MLB, Blue Jays at Orioles, Saturday, Sportsnet: 1,050,000

4. MLB, Blue Jays at Orioles, Sunday, Sportsnet: 912,000

5. Euro soccer, Portugal vs. Austria, Saturday, TSN: 484,000

6. Euro soccer, Iceland vs. Hungary, Saturday, TSN: 416,000

7. Euro soccer, Switzerland vs. France, Sunday, TSN: 410,000

8. PGA, U.S. Open final round, Sunday, TSN: 332,000 (Fox audience not measured)

9. CFL, Argonauts at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 317,000

10. UFC, MacDonald vs. Thompson, Saturday, TSN: 273,000

11. Auto racing, F1 Baku Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 272,000

12. Euro soccer, Belgium vs. Ireland, Saturday, TSN: 241,000

13. Euro soccer, Italy vs. Sweden, Friday, TSN: 235,000

14. Euro soccer, Czech Republic vs. Croatia, Friday, TSN: 228,000

15. PGA, U.S. Open second round, Friday, TSN: 143,000

16. MLB, Pirates at Cubs, Saturday, Sportsnet: 128,000

17. Athletics, Diamond League, Saturday, CBC: 127,000

18. Equestrian, Spruce Meadows show jumping, Saturday, CBC: 106,000

19. Auto racing, NASCAR Xfinity 250, Sunday, TSN: 104,000

THREE TO WATCH

Desert, sweet desert: With Las Vegas supposedly on the verge of getting its own NHL team, the world's gambling mecca seems the appropriate setting for this year;s NHL Awards Night (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet.) Most interest might be in the odds of Ron MacLean wresting the microphone from George Stroumbolopoulos in mid-sentence.

Home, sweet home: The CFL season opens with some intrigue as league watchers are dying to see the success of the Toronto Argonauts' move to an outdoor stadium, almost three decades after they moved indoors because they hated outdoor stadiums. Add in their mortal rivals from Hamilton and you've got a night of great possibilities (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN.)

Draft, sweet draft: This will be one of the most-anticipated drafts in NHL history, mainly because the fan-rich but talent-poor Toronto Maple Leafs have the first overall pick. Auston Matthews is supposedly the prime candidate, but the Leafs have been known to surprise people (hence the 40-year Cup drought.) Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet.