Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs' four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers drew an average of 6.2 percent of U.S. homes, lower than the previous record of 6.5 percent set in 2003, when the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in the best-of-seven series.

"The first couple games were kind of dull," said John Mansell, a sports media analyst at John Mansell Associates in Fairfax, Va. "The casual fan wants to see a lot of flash and scoring, and that's not what winning teams are doing these days."

LeBron James, the Cavaliers' All-Star forward who signed a seven-year, $90 million endorsement contract with Nike Inc. before he joined the league four years ago, was unable to draw viewers as the Spurs held Cleveland to an average of 80.5 points a game, down from 96.8 during the season.

James averaged 21.8 points in the finals, compared with 27.3 during the regular season.

It was the fourth title since 1999 for the Spurs, who clinched it with an 83-82 victory yesterday. The final game of the series drew a 6.5 rating, according to Nielsen.