Talk About Tennis 2.0

The NBA got the finish it needed in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but it was not enough to keep Pacers-Thunder from opening at a non-COVID low.

Thursday’s Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals Game 1 averaged a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC, marking the lowest rated and least-watched Game 1 of the Finals of the Nielsen people meter era (1988-present) outside of the two COVID-affected series, Bucks-Suns in July 2021 (4.5, 8.70M) and Heat-Lakers in the “bubble” on the final day of September 2020 (4.1, 7.69M).

Indiana’s last-second win, which peaked with 11.07 million during the final minutes, was the least-watched Finals game of any kind since that 2021 opener — and the ninth-least watched in the people-meter era.

Ratings declined 18% and viewership 19% from Mavericks-Celtics last year (5.7, 10.99M). The declines would have been sharper if not for the Pacers’ comeback. Viewership was down 23% from last year until the 10:45 PM ET quarter-hour (from 11.2 to 8.6 million), after which point it increased by 15% over the final minutes of last year’s Boston blowout (from 9.0 to 10.4 million).

With the series pitting the #25 and #47 television markets, expectations were low heading into the Pacers-Thunder series — especially given Oklahoma City’s dominance throughout the NBA season. Even so, as with the Stanley Cup Final the prior night, the Game 1 audience may still have come in under those expectations.

The Thunder looked well on their way to a comfortable Game 1 win until Indiana pulled off yet another fourth quarter comeback, culminating in Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot. If this series is to bounce back in the ratings, the momentum from that shot will have to carry into Sunday’s Game 2.

The only other time this postseason that Oklahoma City lost at home was Game 1 against Denver in the second round, which played out almost identically to Thursday’s Game 1. The Thunder followed that defeat with a 43-point wipeout of the Nuggets in Game 2, an outcome that needless to say that league would need to avoid.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/0 ... er-game-1/

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 07, 2025 6:02 pm This was expected. There is no way that an OKC/IND series was going to draw a lot of viewers.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 07, 2025 6:16 am Exactly. Take away the three point shot and there is no way a modern team can beat the teams of the 80's - 90's. They have forgotten how to penetrate.
BTW. You forgot Moses Malone. Dumb sport idea in the 80's: attack the rim with Malone down under. You were going to get bruised. Bad.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 08, 2025 3:35 am Robinson. The Admiral.
Shaq could have played at anytime. Personally, Shaq was never a basketball player. He is simply a humongous human being, a man so big that playing this sport was an extension of that.
And yes, blame it on Steph. Everybody thinks they are Steph. Just look at Trae Young. He thinks that because he has hit one or two three from midcourt, he can take that shot whenever he wants.
And just look at the Celtics. No longer playing BB; they are just simply heaving three's. It is the most boring team in the league.