• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, June 4, 2025

History Shows Pacers vs. Thunder May Draw Record-Low Ratings

The Thunder are -750 favorites to win the Finals, making this series one of the most lopsided in NBA Finals history.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

History shows that several ingredients lead to a highly rated NBA Finals: big-market teams, marketable superstar players, and a competitive series. Unfortunately, the 2025 NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder don’t appear to have any of those ingredients, even with league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the fold.

Indiana and Oklahoma City are two of the smallest U.S. television markets in the NBA, according to Nielsen. Indianapolis is the 25th-largest market in the country and 23rd of 29 NBA teams (excluding Toronto), while Oklahoma City is 47th in the U.S. and third to last in the league, only ahead of New Orleans and Memphis.

Series between two relatively small markets tend to draw lower ratings. Since 2000, the two lowest-rated championship series, excluding those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, were in 2003 between the Spurs and New Jersey Nets (9.86 million) and in 2007 between the Spurs and Cavaliers (9.29 million).

San Antonio is the No. 31 market in the country and Cleveland is No. 19. New Jersey isn’t listed, though they get a bite from big markets in New York (No. 1) and Philadelphia (No. 5). There is a reason, however, that the franchise moved to Brooklyn in 2012.

The Thunder and Pacers have both been in the Finals this century, and drew strong ratings, but it helped that their opponents played in large or medium markets that had the league’s biggest names. Indiana faced the Lakers (No. 2 market) with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 (17.4 million), while the Thunder faced the Heat (No. 18 market) led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in 2012 (16.9 million). Oklahoma City also had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden at the time.

Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t have the same viewership pull as those stars, as evidenced by the 5.59 million viewership average of the Thunder’s five-game Western Conference finals series against the Timberwolves, down 17% from last year. The games were also mostly blowouts, as four of five were decided by at least 15 points and three by more than 25 points. 

The Pacers aren’t expected to do better. Oklahoma City entered the Minnesota series with -375 odds to win, while the Thunder enter the Finals as -750 favorites, tied for the sixth-most-lopsided Finals when compared with data from Sports Odds History

The series isn’t expected to be a long one, either. The best odds for an exact series score prediction are for Oklahoma City to win in five games (+225), followed by a Thunder sweep (+290).

Indiana, however, has defied the odds for most of its playoff run, winning consecutive series in which it was not favored and didn’t have home court advantage. The team could make it a series like in 2000, when the Lakers were -800 favorites but the Pacers still stretched the series to six games.

If Indiana can steal one game in Oklahoma City, this series could become significantly more compelling. But based on historical data, the NBA should expect a viewership dip for the 2025 NBA Finals.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

NBA Finals Ticket Prices Down 25%, Still Average Over $1,000

The NBA Finals tip off Thursday in Oklahoma City.
Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at a press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.

As 2025 CFB Season Nears, 2026 Playoff Format Still a Mystery

College Football Playoff leaders are divided on its future.

MLB TV Ratings Jump: Fox Up 10%, ESPN Hits Eight-Year High

Each of the league’s national rights holders is posting audience gains.

Featured Today

Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”

NBA Playoff Ratings Up 3%, Pacers-Knicks G6 Sets Postseason High

The Thunder and Pacers face off in the NBA Finals starting Thursday.
Hosts of Inside the NBA on TNT
exclusive
June 2, 2025

Inside ‘Inside the NBA’ Transition to ESPN

Sources say ESPN management will take a hands-off approach to the show.
exclusive
June 3, 2025

Jackie Redmond on Absurd Travel Between NHL Playoffs, WWE

Redmond covered four events in six nights across the continent.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
June 1, 2025

As TNT NBA Era Ends, Charles Barkley Calls ESPN Move an ‘Honor’

TNT’s final NBA game was Pacers–Knicks on Saturday night.
May 30, 2025

TNT’s Long Goodbye: ‘Inside the NBA’ Stays, but Games Are Almost Gone

TNT’s long NBA run nears its end—but not quietly.
Mar 27, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A general overall view of the Crypto.com Arena with the March Madness Elite 8 and Sweet 16 logo at center court.
May 29, 2025

Media Exec on March Madness Expansion Potential: ‘Chump Change’

CBS and TNT pay about $1 billion a year for the media rights.
May 29, 2025

The Day TNT’s NBA Future Slipped Away: Sports Media Sliding Doors

In 2022, David Zaslav said WBD didn’t “have to have the NBA.”