THE 2025 NBA Finals, a captivating matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, is facing an uphill battle in the ratings, as anticipated.
This “small-market” series has seen viewership decline by approximately 20 percent compared to last season, putting it on track for the lowest TV turnout since the 2020 “bubble” finals.
However, the teams themselves are hardly to blame for this dip in audience numbers.
Despite the ratings, the series itself has been a thrilling, back-and-forth affair, now poised for a best-of-three conclusion. Game 5, set to take place in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 17, sees the Thunder aiming to seize their first series lead, while the Pacers are striving to return home just one win shy of a championship.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton expressed indifference to the viewership figures, emphasizing the high-level basketball on display.
“I do not care, to be honest with you,” Haliburton stated when asked about the lagging tune-in. “This is high-level basketball and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
The series thus far has delivered ample drama and excitement. Game 1 featured a frenetic Indiana comeback capped by a Haliburton buzzer-beater. Game 2 saw Oklahoma City assert early dominance, a characteristic of their successful season. In Game 3, the Pacers’ bench fueled a crucial home victory. Most recently, Game 4 showcased MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s late-game heroics, as he scored 15 points in the final five minutes to propel the Thunder to a comeback win.
These four contests have resulted in a 2-2 tie, with the Thunder narrowly outscoring the Pacers by 3.3 points per game and the Pacers holding a slight 1.4 percent shooting advantage.
This statistical parity is rare, marking only the third time in the last 15 years that the Finals have been so evenly matched through four games, following the 2022 Golden State-Boston and 2011 Dallas-Miami series.
Thunder guard Alex Caruso highlighted the competitive nature, suggesting that the series could debunk common criticisms of modern basketball, such as the perceived lack of defense or over-reliance on isolation plays and three-pointers.
“I think from an outside perspective it’s great for the league,” Caruso said. “It’s great for basketball. I think these two teams play stylistically the best versions of basketball right now as far as pressure and being influencing and aggressive on defense — causing turnovers, making stuff hard and then offensively free-flowing, shot making, passing the ball. ... A great brand of basketball.”
Regardless of the viewership, this series has the potential to be a classic. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged the intensity.
“We appreciate the opportunity to play this deep into the season,” he said. “If you’re playing this deep into the season, your opponent is going to be really good. They have won 12 games to get to this point just like we have. You just know it’s going to be an unbelievable level. There are definitely times in it where (you’re saying), ‘Man, this is a high, high level.’”
Historically, when the Finals are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5, the winner of that pivotal game has gone on to claim the championship in 23 out of 31 previous occasions. With both teams just two wins away from the ultimate prize, as Haliburton put it, “Anything can happen here.” / From the wires