from Jesse Lawrence at Forbes,

Tuesday night, Game six of the NBA finals scored ABC a 14.7 rating, the fourth-highest ever for an NBA game on the storied network. A bit further up the dial NBC has also been celebrating ratings for their NHL finals broadcast. Game one of the NHL finals between the Bruins and Blackhawks scored a 4.8– double game one from last year. For the NHL it was the highest rating since game six in 2011, which also involved the Bruins. If championship ratings are a reflection of the national sports interests, NBA is the clear winner.

Ticket prices, however, tell another story. Ticket prices for the NBA finals are at a 3-year high, averaging $941 for the Heat vs. Spurs series. This ranks a distant second to the Celtics vs. Lakers series in 2010, which averaged $1,805. Over the last three years, only one Stanley Cup finals–the 2012 Devils vs. Kings– has had an average price lower than the price for this years NBA finals. In the 2011, the Bruins vs. Canucks series had an average price of $1,437, almost double the price $758 for the Heat’s first Finals appearance vs. the Mavericks.

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