NBA Finals: TV ratings down but not the excitement

OKLAHOMA CITY — The ratings are down for these NBA Finals, as was expected. Oklahoma City vs. Indiana is a small-market series and the numbers reflect that, with viewership down about 20% from last season and on pace for the poorest TV turnout since the pandemic "bubble" finals in 2020. Don't blame the Thunder and Pacers for that. It's been a back-and-forth over the first four games — and now, a best-of-three will decide the NBA title. Game 5 is in Oklahoma City tonight, with the Thunder trying to take their first lead of the series and the Pacers trying to head back home one win away from a championship. "I do not care, to be honest with you," Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said when asked what he'd say to those who, for whatever reason, haven't tuned into the series. "This is high-level basketball, and I'm excited to be a part of it." Game 1 had a frantic Indiana comeback and a Haliburton buzzer-beater. Game 2 saw Oklahoma City do what it has done in the majority of games all season: take full control early and roll to a win. Game 3 in Indiana had the Pacers' bench fueling a win. Game 4 saw the MVP do MVP things, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 15 points in the final five minutes to carry the Thunder to a comeback win. Add it up, and it's Thunder 2, Pacers 2. The Thunder are outscoring the Pacers by 3.3 points per game; the Pacers are outshooting the Thunder by 1.4%. It's only the third time in the last 15 years that the finals have had all that through four games — 2-2 tie, 3.3-point differential or less, shooting within 1.4% of each other. Golden State-Boston had it in 2022, and Dallas-Miami had it in 2011. It all seems pretty even, and the looks aren't deceiving. "It's good for y'all," Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. "Good for me, we'd be getting ready for a parade right now." Parades in Indianapolis or Oklahoma City are going to have to wait at least until this coming weekend. This series seems like it could have debunked some of the tired complaints about the game in recent years: the nobody-plays-defense, too-much-isolation, too-many-threes arguments that have been out there. "I think from an outside perspective it's great for the league," Caruso said. "It's great for basketball. I think these two teams play stylistically the best versions of basketball right now as far as pressure and being influencing and aggressive on defense — causing turnovers, making stuff hard and then offensively free-flowing, shot making, passing the ball. ... A great brand of basketball." And that means it could end up as a great finals, whether more people start watching or not. "We appreciate the opportunity to play this deep into the season," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "If you're playing this deep into the season, your opponent is going to be really good. They have won 12 games to get to this point just like we have. You just know it's going to be an unbelievable level. There are definitely times in it where (you're saying), 'Man, this is a high, high level.'" This marks the 32nd time that a finals has been 2-2 going into Game 5. The winner of Game 5 has gone on to ultimately prevail in 23 of the 31 previous occasions. "We are both two games away," Haliburton said. "Anything can happen here." Shai's climb Gilgeous-Alexander is up to 3,091 points this season, including the regular season and playoffs. That's the 18th most in NBA history, and the reigning MVP could climb several more spots on that list before this series ends. He's 72 points shy of matching Michael Jordan's 3,163 in 1991-92 for the 10th most in a season. "I think above all, it's been very fun," Gilgeous-Alexander said of his first finals. "It's been everything I dreamt it to be growing up. There's no other place in the world I'd rather be, and I'm grateful to be here. Thankful for the experience, for sure." Pacers after losses Indiana's resilience is about to be tested again. The Pacers haven't lost back-to-back games since mid-March, going 10-0 in that span in the game immediately following a defeat. "We play better with our backs against the wall," forward Myles Turner said. "Adversity is something that's going to bring out the best in you. I think that's really what it is, is just a response. ... When your back is against the wall, that's typically where we get our best basketball." Road records Taking the regular season, the playoffs and the play-in tournament into account, there have been 597 wins by road teams this season in the NBA. That matches last season's total — and is one shy of the record of 598 set in 2021-22. Walker update Without definitively ruling him out, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle indicated that reserve forward Jarace Walker's season is over. Walker sprained his ankle late in the series-clinching Game 6 victory over New York in the Eastern Conference finals. He's off crutches but still walking with a limp. "It's very unlikely that he'll be able to play in this series, but he is doing better," Carlisle said. "It would be great if he was available because I do think he would help us."