Twenty million people once routinely watched games in the N.B.A. finals — when Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were in the White House.
It last happened in 1998, when Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz with 29 million people watching on NBC. Since then, the closest the series has come to 20 million viewers was 14 years ago, when an average of 18.9 million watched the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers in five games.
Now, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors head to Game 6 on Tuesday, with the Warriors holding a 3-2 series lead, the 20 million threshold is well within reach again.