Six-goal second half from Zach Manns leads Sask. Rush to comeback victory
1h ago
Rush turned an 8-3 fourth quarter deficit into a 9-8 victory in its home opener.
I’ve been extremely curious about the impact last year’s magical Toronto Raptors run had on sports fans’ interest in basketball and whether it will be sustained.
Earlier this season, there was no doubt more Canadians were engaged in the Raptors.
Earlier in the post-season, ratings for TSN and Sportsnet were up about 25 per cent compared to the first round of the NBA playoffs last season.
But tonight is the night I’m interested in seeing whether we’ll see a ratings boom like we saw last year in Game 7 of the second round. That series saw an average audience of 2.2 million viewers, with a peak audience of 3.8 million watching Kawhi Leonard hit one of the most memorable shots in NBA history, when his buzzer-beater sent the Raptors to the Eastern Conference final.
At the time, it was the most-watched basketball game in Canadian history. The Raptors kept breaking those records all the way to a championship.
So are Canadians watching in droves?
Tonight will be a great indicator.
It’s another Game 7 in the second round. This time, it’s against one of the most popular all-time NBA franchises in Boston. And this time, it’s on a Friday night.