The 2024 playoffs are averaging a 2.2 rating with 4.1 million viewers heading into the NBA Finals.

The ratings are down 11% from last year, with viewership down 13%.

The numbers are also slightly down from 2022. Viewership had been trending to an increase from 2022 before the conference finals.

The Mavs-Timberwolves series averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.74 million viewers, while the Celtics-Pacers series averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.31 million viewers.

The Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.74 million viewers.

That number is down 18% in ratings from last year's Lakers-Nuggets series.

The Game 5 clincher averaged a 3.2 rating with 6.26 million viewers.

The Celtics-Pacers series averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.31 million viewers.

The Boston Celtics opened as -225 favorites in the NBA Finals at ESPN BET.

The Mavs, who started the season with 25-1 odds of winning the title, are +185 underdogs.

Jayson Tatum is the favorite to win Finals MVP at -130, with Luka Doncic second at +200.

The odds reflect Kristaps Porzingis returning to the Celtics lineup for Game 1. 

The Boston Celtics' sweep of the Indiana Pacers averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.31 million viewers.

That number is down 15% in viewership from last year's Celtics-Heat series.

Game 4 finished with a 3.5 rating and a series-high 6.63 million viewers. 

The Celtics-Pacers series ranked as the fourth most-watched Eastern Conference Finals of the last nine years. 

Luka Doncic was named the Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the series.

“It’s a good feeling, man, I cannot lie,” said Doncic upon receiving the award.

Doncic, who got all nine media votes, averaged 32.4 points in the series.

Doncic entered Thursday averaging 31 points per game in the playoffs, second only to Michael Jordan.

Game 1 between the Mavs and Celtics begins on June 6.

Dereck Lively II was cleared to play in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals after suffering a neck sprain in Game 3.

Lively missed Game 4 due to the injury, but he did not suffer a concussion and sat on the Dallas Mavericks' bench.

The Mavericks enter Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Dereck Lively II has been upgraded to questionable for Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Lively missed Game 4 due to a neck sprain.

Maxi Kleber also returned to the Mavs lineup in Game 4. 

Joe Mazzulla said that Kristaps Porzingis was increasing his workload but did not have any definitive updates about his status for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

"There’s been a couple shootarounds where he hasn’t done anything with the team but has been in a 1-on-1 setting kind of ramping it up with the intensity level of it. He’s been getting better and better," said Mazzulla on Wednesday.

Mazzulla added that he wasn't sure whether Porzingis would be healthy by Game 1.

The NBA Finals start on June 6.

The Indiana Pacers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics from the Eastern Conference Finals in four games despite playing three incredibly close games.

The Pacers had at least a 90 percent win probability in the fourth quarter of Games 1, 3 and 4, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. 

"For a young team like us, this experience in the playoffs is second to none," said Andrew Nembhard, who finished with a team-high 24 points in Game 4. "A lot of our first times. A lot of little things we maybe wanted to do better and we learned how these games go and what being in a series feels like."

"I can tell you like, yeah, we're going to learn from it and it's going to happen, but it's not guaranteed," Siakam said. "I know how hard it is to get to this point. It's unfortunate. You want to give credit to the other team because they took advantage of every mistake that we made. They did well.

"But for us, it's been hard, like heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. Yeah, you're going to be encouraged by it and you hope to put the right amount of work to continue to get better. Because we need to be a lot better if you want to compete with those teams. And understand it doesn't matter how good we played, we didn't get it done."

Kristaps Porzingis has been out since late April with a non-contact calf strain, but there is optimism he could be cleared to play in Game 1 of The Finals.

"There's definitely hope, there's definitely optimism," said Shams Charania of Porzingis.

"There are still some hurdles, I'm told, that he has to clear before he can play in Game 1 of The Finals."

Entering the Eastern Conference Finals, there was reportedly a chance that Porzingis could return during that series if it were to extend.

Game 1 of The Finals is on Thursday, June 6th at TD Garden.