What a week for sports fans. The NBA Finals came down to the @MiamiHEAT and @Spurs battling into the final seconds in Game 7, the @NHLBruins and @NHLBlackhawks have put on a gritty battle for the Stanley Cup, and a baseball legend shared 63 years of history in 140 characters.
For all the action, Twitter brought you into the locker room, amplified overtime action, and opened the doors of the broadcast booth.
During the course of the NBA Finals, more than 26.7 million Tweets were sent throughout the seven-game series. Game 7 alone saw 7.4 million Tweets, with a peak of more than 150,000 Tweets per minute at the conclusion of the game. Although the @MiamiHEAT prevailed over the @Spurs on the court, the Spurs had the lead in number of mentions on Twitter going into Game 7:
After 19.3 million Tweets during #NBAFinals games, are the @Spurs or @MiamiHEAT winning on Twitter?? https://t.co/iGQsLvcPY7
— Twitter ( @twitter) June 20, 2013
But with a win on the court came a win on Twitter, with the Heat garnering 3 million Tweets last night. Likewise, Finals MVP LeBron James (@KingJames) was the most mentioned player during the finals, joined by Dwyane Wade (@DwyaneWade) Chris Bosh (@ChrisBosh) and Danny Green (@DGreen_14).
Who was cheering the loudest on Twitter? These maps illustrate which states had the highest level of activity around each team, adjusted for population.
Wish you could take your tweeting to South Beach? The @MiamiHEAT had a Twitter Mirror in the locker room for their post-game celebration, and the newly-minted champions stopped by to let fans in on the victory party:
The CHAMP is HERE! Celebrating the 2013 #NBAFinals title with Ray Allen! pic.twitter.com/hq6GXasro4
— NBA ( @NBA) June 21, 2013
The CHAMP is HERE! Celebrating the 2013 #NBAFinals title with @ShaneBattier pic.twitter.com/W7Xb72jfpg
— NBA ( @NBA) June 21, 2013
While the Heat have been crowned for the second straight season, the quest for the Stanley Cup hasn’t disappointed either, with three overtime thrillers as the @NHLBruins and @NHLBlackhawks battle it out. Even though the series is tied up at two wins apiece, the Blackhawks are leading the conversation on Twitter.
If you didn’t spring for rink-side seats, you can take part in a viewing party with commentary from those who know the game best: NHL players who are live-tweeting the games along with fans.
These poor guys right now, they are so gassed! I’m tired just watching them. Wow triple OT comin up #smallenfreuden
— Matt Duchene ( @Matt9Duchene) June 13, 2013
Just tried to watch game 3, had to turn it off, Wish I was wearing a white jersey, best of luck to both team #PossesiveOfTheCup #ReneCanSing
— Jonathan Quick ( @JonathanQuick32) June 18, 2013
Jagr GWG way way overdue !!!!
— marc savard ( @MSavvy91) June 20, 2013
Meanwhile on the diamond, who better to hear commentary from than the most famous voice in baseball? Vin Scully — baseball’s most legendary announcer — took over the @Dodgers Twitter account so that fans could still enjoy his perspective when the @Dodgers traveled to New York to play their longtime rival @Yankees. In typical Vin Scully fashion, he managed to tweet a mix of play-by-play about the game, and color commentary based on his remarkable 63 years of experience, and even fielded questions from fans.
I broadcast the Yankee/ Dodger World Series in ‘53, ‘55, ‘56, ‘63 and ‘81. No way I could have imagined tweeting a game. -#VinScully
— Los Angeles Dodgers ( @Dodgers) June 19, 2013
Now here’s Puig, watch his head. That last at-bat he was swinging wildly. Whoa, did that get him? Yeah. -#VinScully
— Los Angeles Dodgers ( @Dodgers) June 20, 2013
I once played against George H. W. Bush. He played 1B for Yale, and I played CF for Fordham. We both went 0-for-3. #TrueStory -#VinScully
— Los Angeles Dodgers ( @Dodgers) June 20, 2013
Upon telling Vin he is already trending in the United States, “Wow! Hot diggity dog. Well, Puig just bunted for a base hit.” -#VinScully
— Los Angeles Dodgers ( @Dodgers) June 19, 2013
While the NBA Finals may be over, the puck will drop again this weekend and the action will continue on the diamond. To make sure you don’t miss a single sports moment, you can now find your favorite sports, teams, and players all in one place. The site features teams and players from 24 global sporting leagues. Whether you’re crazy about cricket, nuts for NASCAR or fanatical about football (both kinds!), it’s all at https://discover.twitter.com/sports.
*Editor's note: As of November 2017, Twitter has increased the character count of Tweets in certain languages to make it easier to share what’s happening.