Knicks in 5, and KPIs thrive

When the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, the team ended a 53-year championship drought after making it rain millions of dollars on the hometown economy. According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation:

• The first three rounds of the Knicks’ postseason generated $202 million in economic activity.
• Going into the finals, each additional home game was projected to generate $90 million each. (The Knicks ended up hosting two.)

New jerseys in New York: Game nights kept bars and restaurants in all five boroughs packed for weeks, but the impact went deeper. “People get pumped up. They go get a new hat. They get a new jersey. They’re going out. They get a haircut,” New York City Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie told Spectrum News NY1.

TV assist

Unless you’re Derek Zoolander or Lisan al-Gaib, you probably watched the games on TV. Last week’s historic Knicks comeback, which aired on ABC, was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 4 since 1998, and that one involved Michael Jordan after he appeared in Space Jam. The Los Angeles Times reported that 30-second commercials in the Knicks–Spurs finals series were going for $1 million a pop on average.

Knicks-on effect: Having the NBA Finals as a lead-in on the network also helped Jimmy Kimmel dunk on Jimmy Fallon in the ratings last week, as both late-night shows work to find their post-Stephen Colbert footing.—BC