Here’s what South Florida watched when Heat and Panthers played at same time on Tuesday

On Wednesday, we found out what happens with the Heat and Panthers play a playoff game at the same time, and it was hardly a surprise: Far more South Florida viewers tuned in the Heat.

Tuesday night’s Game 1 of the Heat-Celtics Eastern Finals -- which started at 8:45 p.m. (compared to 7 p.m. for the Panthers) - drew an 8.2 local rating on ESPN, meaning 8.2 percent of South Florida homes with TV sets in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market were tuned in the Heat game.

That compared to a 2.1 local rating on TNT for Game 1 of the Panthers-Lightning second-round series, which is still well above what Panthers games typically generate.

Heat-Celtics drew a greater percentage of TV homes (14) in Boston than Miami (8.2). As perspective, the six-game Heat-Pacers 2014 Eastern Finals drew a 23.4 rating in South Florida during the final playoff push of the Big Three era.

One ratings point in Miami-Fort Lauderdale equals 16,934 TV households, making our market the 18th largest in the country, per Nielsen.

Nationally, Game 1 of Heat-Celtics averaged 6.1 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most watched East Finals Game 1 since 2018. Nationally, Game 1 of Panthers-Lightning on TNT averaged 1.3 million viewers.

The two series are conflicting because ESPN preferred to show the Rangers-Carolina series, leaving the Panthers-Lightning series for TNT largely on the nights that the Heat and Celtics are playing on ESPN. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had the authority to overrule that decision but declined to do so.

FYI: Bally Sports Sun (Heat) and Bally Sports Florida (Panthers) are carrying extensive postgame shows, with press conferences and more, after games.

HEAT REACTION

Some reaction from network pundits on the Heat and Jimmy Butler:

▪ ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins: “He becomes a top five player in the NBA as soon as the postseason starts. Postseason superstar… That’s what Jimmy Butler is. The worst thing to happen to the NBA is him going to finals two years ago because he realizes it’s a marathon, not a sprint. He’s not focused on making the All Star team. He knows I need my body to be fresh when it matters. There’s no organization that makes you prepared like the Heat.”

▪ ESPN’s Jalen Rose: “Jimmy Butler is a superstar in today’s NBA. [When he joined the Heat in 2019], there were a lot of people who felt he should join a team or team up with somebody. When he chose to go to Miami, that was head scratching for a lot of people. He chose his own path. He led them to the Finals; he’s leading them again right now.”

▪ Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Patrick Beverley, who’s moonlighting for ESPN during these playoffs, said he still picks Boston if the Celtics get healthy, but:

“You’ve got to give credit to what [Butler] does to his body, his conditioning. These numbers are video game numbers. [He’s succeeding because of] his pace. Lately he’s just been controlling the game. Every playoff series you see him controlling the game whether it’s on offense, defense, rebounding. You feel he’s in control at all times. ‘I’m going to be patient, take [you] in the air with one, two, three pump fakes.’

“He’s not flashy, doesn’t have the big name of other superstars. So he can go under the radar. Not big on Instagram, not a big social media guy. The boy comes to work, disciplined, drinks his coffee and stays out of the way. When you line up against a monster like that, player like that, disciplined, you’re in for a world of hurt.

“I always like forcing Jimmy left, stand down on pump fakes. [For Boston], you’ve got to send a double, make other people beat you. I’m taking away the left hand, take away that and live with the results.”

▪ ESPN analyst Vince Carter: Butler “doesn’t get the respect he deserves, as well as the Miami Heat. When you guard Jimmy in the regular season, he’s a facilitator. He makes guys better, gets guys going. In the playoffs, Jimmy goes at your neck as well as guards you.”