NBA Finals’ Rating Causes Divided Reactions: “Most NBA Fans Are Casuals”

Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer beater and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's consistent performances is not enough for a rise in viewership for the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals’ Rating Causes Divided Reactions: “Most NBA Fans Are Casuals”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton (Image by FirstSportz)

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are currently playing in the 2025 NBA Finals. Thursday’s Finals Game One was an absolute blast. To gain a home-court edge and take a 1-0 series lead, the Pacers pulled off an amazing turnaround in the fourth quarter. There was a lot of excitement before Game 2, but the Thunder dominated the game in front of their home crowd.

With that being said, it was the NBA that suffered in a monetary way. According to Nielsen figures provided by Sports Media Watch, 8.76 million people watched Game 2 of the NBA Finals on ABC on Sunday night. This year’s NBA Finals Game 2 is the least viewed since 2020 (Heat vs. Lakers, 7.54 million).

This was when the series was played in a bubble at Walt Disney World because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The attendance was lower than that of the 2021 season (Bucks vs. Suns, 9.38 million), which was similarly impacted by the worldwide pandemic, and is down almost 30% from Game 2 of the previous year’s Finals (Celtics vs. Mavericks, 12.3 million).

Additionally, it’s lower than the series opener, which drew an average of 8.91 million people on Thursday and included a game-winning goal from Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds remaining. This left the NBA World baffled, with some left disappointed with the viewership. On the other hand, some fans were content with the numbers as if they knew this was to happen.

One would point out the lack of superstars in one of the biggest games of the NBA season as a result in a dip in the viewership. In addition, two of the league’s smaller markets are where the Thunder and Pacers play so it is understandable that the viewership would decrease in this year’s NBA Finals.

Fans left baffled by the major decrease in viewership for the NBA Finals

As mentioned above, Sunday’s average viewership for Game 2 of the Finals was 8.76 million, the lowest until Game 2 of the 2020 Finals and the only Finals since 2007 where viewership dropped following Game 1. This surely brought out various divisions in the NBA fanbase regarding this matter.

Many fans took to various social media apps and sites to put forward their views and thoughts on this situation. One fan wrote on X, “Most NBA fans are casuals,” making a clear case regarding the decline in viewership during Game 2. Check out some of the fan reactions below:

These NBA Finals have proved worth watching, even though the ratings may not reflect it. While Game 1 was an immediate classic in which the Pacers, as they have done throughout the season, came back and won the game, Game 2 was not nice for the average fan.

The Pacers will now try to capitalize on homecourt advantage and capitalize on the passion of the crowd when the series moves to Indiana. The Pacers are the home underdogs going into Game 3 on Wednesday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver makes a strong plea regarding the Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals’ matchup

This series’ opening two games drew an average audience of less than half that of the Warriors and Cavaliers’ 2018 Finals first two games (18.1 million), which concluded in a sweep. Despite this, NBA commissioner Adam Silver made sure to make his intentions clear regarding the Thunder and the Pacers’ NBA Finals matchup.

As a global sport, you can feel the passion for this team and for NBA basketball here in Oklahoma City, but that’s a passion felt globally.

Adam Silver said

Notably, before Game 1, Silver commended both, emphasizing the NBA’s focus on creating a worldwide brand. Up until the conference finals, the league has had a successful postseason. This year, NHL TV ratings have increased greatly in Canada but decreased significantly in the United States. Now, it remains to be seen how the NBA Finals series shapes up in the coming days.

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