First round of NBA playoffs most watched since '93

Game 7 of the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia Sixers series highlighted what was the most-watched first round of the NBA Playoffs since 1993, the league announced Tuesday.

With the help of a number of competitive opening-round series -- six of the eight went at least six games -- the first round averaged four million viewers per game across the league's various television partners.

The deciding seventh game of the Celtics-Sixers series, which Philadelphia won 109-100 to complete its comeback from down 3-1, was the most-watched first-round Game 7 in league history, averaging 11 million viewers on NBC/Peacock. That also made it the most-watched first-round playoff game in 27 years.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 6:14 PM.