Heat-Lakers Game Sets New Ratings Mark for ABC
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The much-heralded Christmas Day  matchup between Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers and Shaquille  O'Neal's Miami Heat was the highest-rated regular season  basketball game on television in nearly seven years,  broadcaster ABC said on Monday.
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Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points, helping the Miami Heat improve the Eastern Conference's best record to 29-11 with an 111-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
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SACRAMENTO Â· With Shaquille O&#39;Neal warming up for Saturday&#39;s showdown with the Lakers, and with Dwyane Wade nearly providing a triple-double, the Heat pulled off something special Thursday.
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The Miami Heat got above .500 for the first time in nearly four months by beating the Atlanta Hawks 88-81 Monday night.
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MIAMI (Sports Network) - Shaquille O'Neal made his home  debut, but once again it was Dwyane Wade stealing the show with  28 points as the Miami Heat downed the Cleveland Cavaliers,  92-86, in front of a record crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena.
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While ABC and the N.B.A. are looking to Saturday's game between the Heat and Lakers as a potential ratings bonanza, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant seem ready to get it over with.
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Disney&#39;s ABC and ESPN outlets will likely grab big ratings with a Detroit-Indiana/Miami-Los Angeles Lakers NBA doubleheader Christmas Day, which says something about what can sell sports.
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DAVID STERN LIKENS an NBA season to &quot;1,200 episodes of reality programming.&quot; In tomorrow&#39;s presentations of &quot;Survivor, NBA Arena,&quot; Shaq promises to be a brick wall when Kobe the Corvette drives the lane, after the Pistons drop in on an Indianapolis crowd
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The Miami Heat recorded a 104-102 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the first match between the two teams since centre Shaquille O&#39;Neal switched clubs in the off-season.
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The brick wall came down Saturday, but the Miami Heat still defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Shaq vs. Kobe I. With Shaquille O&#39;Neal on the bench after fouling out late in the
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LOS ANGELES  - Two hours of fictional  disaster drama and an hourlong special on the real-life tsunami  tragedy in Asia kept ABC atop the primetime standings  Wednesday.
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There was a nice little mini-drama last night with the Lakers playing in Seattle. Not as big of a deal as Kobe vs. Shaq or Kobe vs.
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Heat center Shaquille O'Neal's much hyped matchup with former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant on Christmas gets the highest rating in six years for a regular season game.
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Game 2 of the NBA finals took a hit in the TV ratings, and the series finale of "The Sopranos" was the prime suspect.
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NBA Shaq vs. Kobe drew the highest rating in six years for a regular-season NBA game. The overnight rating for the Miami Heat's 104-102 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on ABC Christmas Day was 8.0. That was the highest since February 1998, when Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls against the Lakers on NBC. The game featured Shaquille ...
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A 90-minute edition of âDeal or No Dealâ lifted NBC to another No. 1 finish in the ratings on Monday. According to Nielsenâs estimates, 13.1 million viewers tuned in to the game show from 9:30 to 11 p.m., making it the nightâs top-rated broadcast. NBC also fared well earlier in the night as âAmerican Gladiatorsâ won its 8 to 9:30 time slot among adults 18 to 49, while attracting a modest 8.8 million viewers. ABCâs âDance Warâ delivered slightly more viewers during the time period (9.2 million), but it lagged far behind in the 18-to-49 set, falling to its lowest ratings to date in that demographic. ABC finished a distant fourth over all as both âNotes From the Underbellyâ at 9:30 (4.3 million) and âOctober Roadâ at 10 (4 million) continued to struggle. Fox was second in the 18-t0-49 set with âPrison Breakâ at 8 (7.9 million total viewers) and âTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclesâ at 9 (8.3 million). CBS fared slightly better in total viewers with its comedy lineup, which included strong ratings for a âTwo and a Half Menâ repeat at 9 (11.9 million).
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ESPN, ABC and the NBA are hoping that a drama-laden doubleheader makes a nice Christmas Day basket for all concerned. Both nationally televised games have potential drawing power.