(The Hawks-Celtics Game 8 battle Wednesday did a jaw-dropping 6.73 for the last quarter hour, 10:15 to 10:30, and the game ended with just under 4 (3.9) overall, to be adjusted later since the rating times are pre-set and the game ran long - per a celebrated longtime announcer friend of mine who knows about these things. A 6.7 rating for even a piece of a Hawks game in November, or any other time, is off the charts. “Astronomical,” to borrow his word. Last season’s playoff games came in at 2.)
The final half hour, which included Paul Pierce’s game-winning heroics, was the top rated program on Boston television, beating out network hits such as House and Law & Order. The game drew an estimated 245,000 households in New England and 163,000 in the Boston market alone.”
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