The first game of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder was quite a series opener. The Pacers came back from 15 points down to win off of Tyrese Haliburton's dramatic buzzer-beater to go up 1-0. 

However, it wasn't enough to draw in enough viewership. Game 1 only averaged 8.91 million viewers, the lowest for an opening Finals game since 1988, per Front Office Sports. 

The first game of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons achieved 10.99 million viewers. The only exception was the COVID-restricted 2020 and 2021 NBA Finals viewership, which averaged a combined 8.7 million. 

The NBA's viewership was a matter of discussion this season. In the first few weeks of the season, ESPN and TNT saw steep double-digit declines. However, the five games played on Christmas Day averaged at least 5,335,000 million viewers, an 87% increase from the year before, according to Nielsen. 

Those games also provided an added boost to ESPN. Despite concerns about a rapid decline, the NBA saw only a 3% decrease in viewership. 

All that said, here is why Game 1 of the Finals achieved the numbers it did. 

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The reasons why the ratings for Game 1 of the NBA Finals were low

The Pacers and Thunder are small-market teams. For all their respective greatness, they don't necessarily draw the same universal interest as other teams (i.e., Lakers or Knicks).

Furthermore, a younger generation of NBA fans is using streaming services, therefore decreasing television viewership. The overall coverage could lack genuine enthusiasm or excitement, especially without a compelling storyline. 

The Pacers are looking for their first title in franchise history. The Thunder last won the title when they were the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. 

While those could arguably be storylines, each team would need players that captivate the public imagination to draw people in. For all the heroics of a player like Haliburton, he is not necessarily a universal player with broad appeal outside of Indiana.