The 2025 NBA Finals have been a masterclass. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers do not play in a large market. Despite that, the ratings are still breaking records. The Pacers own a 2-1 lead over the Thunder and host Game 3 on Friday night. Every indication shows that this series could go seven games.

According to the NBA Communications department, there are three highlights from the first three games of the NBA Finals.

  1. Indiana’s Game 3 victory over Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals on ABC peaked with 11.54 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
  2. The first three games of the NBA Finals have been the most-watched programs on TV since the first week of May.
  3. The NBA Finals have generated more than 1.5 billion views globally and counting across social media, a record through three games (per Videocites).
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Many believed this couldn't be possible. A lot of people expressed frustration that the Finals would not be intriguing because neither team is in a big market. They couldn't be farther from the truth.

The NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, plays for the Thunder, and his 2024-25 season put him in the conversation as one of the best players in the world. The Thunder owned the top record in the NBA this regular season and deserve to be in the NBA Finals.

The Pacers got hot at the end of the regular season and kept their foot on the gas pedal all playoffs long. They play with an insanely quick pace that nobody was able to figure out. Tyrese Haliburton is on one of the biggest heaters of all time, and doesn't seem to be slowing down. He has led the Pacers to big come-from-behind wins, including the latest one in Game 1 of the series. Haliburton hit a game-winning shot almost as time expired to give the Pacers an early series lead. In Game 3, he was close to a triple-double to lead the Pacers to a big win.