NBA commissioner Adam Silver has addressed the negative feedback from the first two games of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
Fans have expressed their dissatisfaction on social media over the lack of effort to make the Finals series feel different than the regular season. The first factor that led to sour reactions was how the NBA did not have the special Finals on-court logos featuring the Larry O’Brien trophy.
After fans lashed out on social media during Game 1, the league flashed virtual NBA Finals and Larry O’Brien icons on the court at Paycom Center for Game 2. Still, viewers were not satisfied with the quality of the graphics during the ESPN broadcast.
Before Wednesday night’s Game 3 in Indiana, Silver joined the ESPN panel and explained the league’s decision.
“I’ve seen some of the chat on social media about on-court decals. People don’t realize they went away a decade ago because there were claims that, Kendrick [Perkins] knows, they were slippery,” Silver said, pointing to former center Kendrick Perkins, who was on the broadcast.
“We’re back to adding them virtually, so those are on,” he added.
Silver also addressed the low ratings through the first two games of the Thunder-Pacers series. Game 1 was the least-watched first game of the Nielsen meter era (since 1988) outside the COVID-19-marred seasons in 2020 and 2021, averaging a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC, per Sports Media Watch. The game suffered an 18% drop in ratings and 19% in viewership.
The Thunder’s Game 2 blowout over the Pacers did not do any better, as it drew nearly identical numbers to the series opener. OKC’s 123-107 win became the second-least watched Game 2 since 2007, excluding the 2020 bubble, with 8.76 million viewers on average on ABC.
Still, Silver insisted that the Finals are impacting the small markets of Oklahoma City and Indianapolis. On their way to the Finals, the Pacers and Thunder defeated teams with huge stars from bigger markets by knocking off the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“It’s an interesting time in society,” Silver said. “We have two markets that are completely captured by the Finals. Every store you go to, there’s signage. Everybody on the street is wearing team colors. I’ve been doing this for a long time; I don’t remember it being two markets that feel so dominant to have these games.
“As a media matter, people compare us to 20 years ago, but Games 1 and 2, so far, are the highest-rated programs in May and June so far on television,” Silver added. “If something beats us, it’ll be another sports program. Twenty years ago, we often didn’t win the night when the Finals were on, but the absolute rating is lower now. “
Indiana took the series lead with a 116-107 win as the series shifted to the Hoosier State. The Pacers will look to secure a 3-1 lead in Game 4 on Friday night before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
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