The Miami Heat debuted its “big three” contingent of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade Tuesday, but the collective was unable to lead the team to victory against the Boston Celtics, a team that won the championship three seasons ago with a “big three” of its own.
But despite the unsuccessful outing on the court, the Heat helped TNT launch the 2010-11 NBA season on a positive ratings note. SMW reports that the Heat-Celtics season kickoff posted a 5.6 overnight household rating. That represents a 75% increase from last season’s premiere, which featured LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers battling the Celtics.
The Los Angeles Lakers took on the Houston Rockets in game two of the doubleheader; that game posted a 3.5 overnight household rating.
Assuming the data holds, this year’s NBA Opening Night will be the network’s highest-rated of all-time.