The Miami Heat weren’t the only winners last night when LeBron James and team defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to win their second NBA championship. ABC scored too.  The 2012 NBA Finals averaged an 11.8 overnight rating for the network. That’s up 5% from last year’s five game Finals overnight ratings average between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. This year is the highest five-game average since 2004 and the second-highest ever for ABC. Thursday’s NBA Finals Game 5 scored  a 12.5 overnight rating, matching last year’s battle between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.

Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.