The Underdogs Surprise: Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals
In the annals of NBA history, it is a rare occurrence when a No. 4 seed or lower faces off against the top overall seed in the NBA Finals. Never before has a seed so low led the championship series against the team that finished with the league's best record in the regular season. Yet, here we are, nearly midway through the 2025 best-of-seven set, and the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers lead the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder, 2-1.
The viewers, for one, are not exactly flocking to their TV screens in droves. Television ratings for the first few games of the 2025 NBA Finals have been at their lowest since the pandemic. NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the rounds prior to Game 3, reminding us that the league is still television's highest-rated programming. It is just not as watched as it used to be.
From a business perspective, this series can be considered a bust due to the lack of viewership at home. Indiana and Oklahoma City are two of the smallest media markets in the NBA, and despite the rabid fanbases in those cities and the streets of Indianapolis currently covered with people sporting Pacers gear following their Game 3 upset, the lack of viewership at home means this series will not generate much revenue.
However, from a basketball perspective, it could not be better. Game 1 came down to a game-winner from Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, a rising superstar. Game 2 served as a reminder of how good the Thunder and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander actually are. And Game 3 was a back-and-forth barnburner, with both teams colliding at the sport's pinnacle.
"It's only been three games," said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. "It feels like it's been longer."
Why, then, are people not watching? Perhaps the casual fan does not consider the Thunder a Goliath. They are from Oklahoma City, after all, and we had not seen them escape the second round of the playoffs as currently constituted. It is not like the viewing public is especially familiar with Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian, even if he is a special talent.
But make no mistake: The Thunder are as good as advertised. They are only the seventh team in NBA history to win 68 games in a regular season. Four of the previous six teams to reach those heights went on to win the championship in the same season. The other two teams won a title either the year before or the year after they won 68 games (or, in the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors' case, before and after).
"This is, like, a really exciting time," said Haliburton. "To play against these guys is an honor. It's a lot of fun. This is a 68-win team, historically one of the best defenses ever. This is a really good team. They have the MVP. They have a bunch of dudes who are going to be in this league for a long time having a lot of success."
And OKC has looked every bit the part in these playoffs. The Thunder swept
