LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have made it to the finals for the second straight season.
Millions of viewers have tuned in to watch LeBron James and Dwyane Wade battle the Thunder in the NBA Finals. Reuters

The NBA Finals remain on track to be the highest-rated Finals since 2004 after posting huge numbers for Tuesday night's Game 4.

Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder registered a 12.4 overnight TV ratings, which is up 12 percent from last year's Game 4 of Dallas-Miami.

The matchup of LeBron James's Miami Heat versus Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder has generated a lot of interest around the world, but especially in the teams' home markets. Tuesday night's game drew 49.1 percent of local households, the most-ever for an NBA game, according to Nielsen ratings.

The terrific ratings are certainly appreciated by ABC, the Finals rights holder since 2003, though the Heat winning Game 4 didn't help the network's cause. Miami's 104-98 victory gives it a 3-1 series lead and the opportunity to close out the NBA Finals on Thursday in Game 5.

Typically after the initial ratings bonanza in Games 1 and 2, ratings start climbing the longer a series goes, which is why ABC executives are likely hoping the series goes to seven games. A Game 7 game between the Thunder and Heat could set NBA television ratings records, but it currently looks unlikely that the series will last that long.

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