The Los Angeles Lakers' series-clinching win over the Boston Celtics was seen by 28.2 million viewers last week, making it the most-watched NBA game since Michael Jordan won his sixth, and final, championship in 1998.

The Nielsen Co. said last Thursday's game on ABC was the most-watched event during television's summer season since the first "Survivor" finale in 2000, with the exception of the Olympics. During the game's deciding moments in the fourth quarter, viewership peaked at 36.5 million -- even though it was after 11:30 p.m. on the East Coast.

It continues a trend of big events in sports and entertainment getting big ratings, attributed in part to the rapid acceptance of high-definition television. This year's Super Bowl ranks as the most-watched program in U.S. television history.

As a whole, the seven-game championship series between the NBA's two most successful franchises had better ratings than any NBA finals since the Lakers took on the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.

Meanwhile, HBO's "True Blood" was seen by 4.3 million viewers for its second episode of the season on Sunday, Nielsen said. The season debut, seen by the 5.1 million the week before, led HBO to place an order for another season that will air next summer.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 NBA Finals, Game 7 (ABC)

2 NBA Finals, Game 6 (ABC)

3 America's Got Talent, Wed. (NBC)

4 America's Got Talent, Tue. (NBC)

5 NCIS (CBS)

6 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

7 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

8 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

9 The Bachelorette (ABC)

10 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

11 The Mentalist (CBS)

12 NBA Countdown, Thu. (ABC)

13 60 Minutes (CBS)

14 CSI: Miami (CBS)

15 NBA Countdown, Tue. (ABC)

16 Flashpoint (CBS)

17 The Mentalist, 7 p.m. Thu. (CBS)

18 America's Got Talent, 7 p.m. Wed. rerun (NBC)

19 TV's Greatest Surprises (CBS)

20 The Good Wife (CBS)