Game 2 Draws NBA Finals' Best TV Rating Since Lakers-Det '04

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The NBA Finals' Game 2 drew the highest television rating since 2004.

The Miami Heat's 100-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night on ABC earned a 10.4 household rating. The network said Friday that was up 12 percent from last year's series between the Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

Game 2 of the 2004 finals between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers drew a 10.7 household rating.

Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions tuned into a program.

Also, the first two games have drawn the largest audience since ABC began broadcasting NBA games starting with the 2002-03 season. Game 2 drew the network's largest audience — averaging 16.67 million viewers, up seven percent from last year — and the two games have averaged 16.439 million viewers.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.