Superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant doing battle in the NBA Finals was as popular as expected.

The 2012 NBA Finals – the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to become NBA Champions – generated the most-watched and highest-rated five-game average for The Finals since 2004 and the second most-watched in ABC history, according to Nielsen.

The Finals averaged 16,855,000 viewers (P2+) and 11,584,000 household impressions, up five percent from 16,084,000 viewers and 11,061,000 household impressions in 2011. The series generated a 10.1 household rating, up six percent compared to a 9.6 last year through five games.

Thursday’s Game 5 broadcast delivered a 10.9 HH rating, 18,461,000 viewers and 12,538,000 household impressions, up 1 percent compared to Game 5 last year (10.8 rating, 18,313,000 viewers and 12,472,000 household impressions).

NBA Finals Game 5 was the highest-rated program of the night and helped ABC win the night among all programs on broadcast and cable. This marks the 30th consecutive time the NBA Finals have led ABC to win the night.

2012 NBA Finals - Top 10 local markets: 1.Oklahoma City (43.8); 2.Miami (33.1); 3.Tulsa (26.9); 4.West Palm Beach (20.1); 5.Cleveland (17.4); 6.Memphis (15.9); 7.New Orleans (14.4); 8.Atlanta (14.2); 9.Chicago (14.1) 10.San Antonio (14.0).

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was recently a guest on ESPN and had a discussion with ESPN TV personality Skip Bayless that mostly centered around LeBron James and NBA championship games.

And Cuban made some fantastic points worth hearing, on LeBron and more. Here’s the video:

Warriors general manager Bob Myers said on Friday morning that the team has interest in former Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy, who has made it clear that he will try to play in 2012-13.

On Dec. 15, 2011, the Blazers announced that they had used the amnesty clause to waive Roy, and shortly after that Roy announced that his professional basketball career was over.

But Roy, 27, has been training over the past several months with the goal of joining an NBA roster for the start of the season.

There’s a connection between Myers and Roy; Myers used to be Roy’s agent.

– Reported by Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area

The Atlanta Hawks have spoken with Danny Ferry about becoming the club’s next general manager, according to league sources.

Ferry, currently the vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs, would replace Rick Sund as the Hawks’ lead basketball decision maker.

Sund’s contract ends on June 30 and, sources say, he is not interested in returning for a fifth year as the Hawks’ GM. Sund could either remain with the organization as a consultant or move on altogether.

– Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

More than 2,500 Oklahoma City Thunder fans found their way to Will Rogers Airport Friday afternoon to welcome their team home.

The team landed in Oklahoma City around 2 p.m.

Fans packed a designated area just north of the airport to watch the team deplane and waited near a temporary stage, where players and coaches were expected to address the crowd.

– Reported by RJ Young of the Oklahoman

Here is a photo. 

Here is now Jeremy Lin got NBA contract Bird Rights 

The NBPA ANNOUNCED:

Arbitrator Kenneth Dam today affirmed the National Basketball Players Association’s position that players claimed off waivers retain their valuable “Bird” and “Early Bird” rights when they become free agents. As a result of the arbitrator’s decision, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak of the New York Knicks will enter the 2012-13 free agency period with “Early Bird” rights, and Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers and J.J. Hickson of the Portland Trailblazers will enter the 2012-13 free agency period with full “Bird” rights. Future players claimed off waivers will likewise benefit from today’s ruling.

“Bird and Early Bird rights are the lynchpin of our Soft Cap system, and we’re pleased that Professor Dam recognized that a player does not forfeit these important rights unless he makes an affirmative decision to sign with a new team as a free agent,” NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter said. “Players fought hard for a Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows maximum flexibility for free agent players while also permitting teams to retain their core free agents, and today’s decision affirms both of these important principles.”

THE NBA LATER ANNOUNCED:

The NBA announced today that a decision has been issued in the recent arbitration proceeding brought by the Players Association on behalf of Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups, and J.J. Hickson.  In that decision, arbitrator Kenneth Dam ruled that players who are claimed off of waivers have the same “Bird” or “Early Bird” rights that they would have if they were traded.  The NBA will appeal the ruling.

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker is suing a New York City club and its operators for $20 million over a scratched cornea he says he suffered during a fight involving singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake’s entourage.

The suit was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday. It says the W.i.P club in SoHo and its operators were negligent in security and supervision, which allowed the fight to take place.

Chris Brown, his girlfriend and his bodyguard were among eight injured during the fight inside the club last week.

– Reported by the Associated Press

Mike Miller wrote himself into NBA Finals lore with 23 points on 7 of 8 from three-point range. It was a career postseason high in scoring for Miller in what might have been his last game. Miller hinted towards retirement in his postgame news conference.

“I’ve got to make the best decision, not only for the organization, for the players that work every night, for the Arisons who believed in me, for Coach Riley for bringing me here, and then for my family,” Miller said. “Just got to make sure it’s the best one.”

Miller has three years left on his contract. He’ll meet with doctors in the next week to determine the extent of his injuries. If he needs surgery (or surgeries), Miller might call it quits and retire. It’s a tricky situation. Miller would rather have the Heat use its amnesty clause on him. It would allow him to be paid the full amount of his contract.

Miller’s seven three-pointers was one shy of the Finals record, set by Ray Allen in 2010.

– Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Blog)