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New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA trophy logos may return on Finals courts next year, Adam Silver says
OKLAHOMA CITY — In the wake of a spirited online debate about the state of the NBA Finals court during Indiana's stunning Game 1 win over Oklahoma City — with a swell of support for the Larry O'Brien trophy logos to be returned to the floor — commissioner Adam Silver indicated Friday that the league will revisit that discussion after this season. Advertisement The league has had various iterations of the trophy logo throughout its history. But it stopped using them in 2014 amid concerns about, among other things, player safety when there were claims of 'slipperiness' on the courts, Silver said. The Cleveland Cavaliers featured a small version of the trophy near a corner of the court in 2017, and the 2020 bubble finals in Orlando, Fla., had a massive finals logo that was sponsored by YouTube. As Silver sees it, the fans and media members who complained about a lack of distinctness to the modern-day finals court have a valid point. 'Maybe there's a way around it,' he told a small group of reporters during an NBA Cares charity event at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. 'To be honest, I hadn't thought all that much about it until I (saw) it (on social media). I'm nostalgic, as well, for certain things. And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it's people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it's nice when you're looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event. So we'll look at it.' The timing of this topic had everything to do with the NBA Cup, as many questioned why the finals courts are so understated when the courts used for the league's midseason tournament are often quite the opposite. They feature bright colors and extensive decals that are unique to each team, with the goal of attracting attention to the competition that began in 2023. For the midseason games that matter only so much, the league was often accused of trying too hard from a marketing standpoint. Yet when it came to the finals games that matter more than any other, there was a sense the league wasn't trying hard enough. Silver, though, said there is logistical context that has come into play. Advertisement 'In the case of the Cup, of course, we have the opportunity to plan well in advance and to design a specific neutral court for a Cup championship game,' he said. 'And the teams design their own Cup courts. It actually takes a significant amount of time to create new courts in terms of how they're painted, et cetera. 'One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts is — whether it was perception or reality — there was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, and it was a change sort of on the court that was coming just at the time of the finals. … Maybe it's for superstitious reasons or just a sense from teams that we shouldn't be changing things around such important competition. That's largely why we stopped putting the logos on the court.' To hear Silver tell it, though, everything old might be new again when next June rolls around.
CNET
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
NBA Finals 2025: TV Schedule, Channel, Time, How to Watch Pacers vs. Thunder
The NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers gets underway Thursday night. The top seed in the West, the Thunder needed seven games to get past the Denver Nuggets in round 2 but have otherwise had an easy time in the playoffs, sweeping their first-round series and dropping only one game in the conference finals. The Pacers are the No. 4 seed in the East and have also lost only four games in the playoffs before reaching the finals. The Thunder are heavy favorites to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but it should be a fun NBA Finals. Both teams like to run and play fast, so fans can expect high-scoring games. And each team is led by a phenomenal point guard and floor leader: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Tyrese Haliburton for the Pacers. Game 1 between the Pacers and Thunder tips off Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) on ABC. Here's everything you need to know to watch or stream every game of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder swept both games against Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers in the NBA regular season. Zach Beeker/NBAE/Getty Images What is the NBA Finals schedule? The Thunder have home-court advantage and will host the first two games. Here's the full series schedule (all times ET): Thursday, June 5 Game 1: Pacers at Thunder, 8:30 p.m. (ABC) Sunday, June 8 Game 2: Pacers at Thunder, 8 p.m. (ABC) Wednesday, June 11 Game 3: Thunder at Pacers, 8:30 p.m. (ABC) Friday, June 13 Game 4: Thunder at Pacers, 8:30 p.m. (ABC) Monday, June 16 Game 5*: Pacers at Thunder, 8:30 p.m. (ABC) Thursday, June 19 Game 6*: Thunder at Pacers, 8:30 p.m. (ABC) Sunday, June 22 Game 7*: Pacers at Thunder, 8 p.m. (ABC) *If necessary How to watch the NBA Finals Every game of the NBA Finals will be shown on ABC. There are two ways to watch local channels without needing a cable or satellite TV subscription. The first is with a live TV streaming service. And the second is with an over-the-air antenna, if you live in an area that has good reception. Each of the five live TV streaming services carry ABC, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries ABC in your area. All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
2025 NBA Finals preview: Thunder-Pacers key matchups, X-factors and more
The NBA Finals matchup is set. One team seemed destined to be here all season long. The other is hoping April and May momentum leads to hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and the Indiana Pacers, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, are the two teams whose title dreams haven't been dashed this season. We're still five days away from Game 1 in Oklahoma City, but The Athletic's Eric Nehm and Kelly Iko got together a little early to provide a look at the series ahead. Advertisement • Game 1: June 5, 8:30 p.m., at Oklahoma City • Game 2: June 8, 8 p.m., at Oklahoma City • Game 3: June 11, 8:30 p.m., at Indiana • Game 4: June 13, 8:30 p.m., at Indiana • Game 5*: June 16, 8:30 p.m., at Oklahoma City • Game 6*: June 19, 8:30 p.m., at Indiana • Game 7*: June 22, 8 p.m., at Oklahoma City * if necessary What happened in Indiana in December? Despite playing without both Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, the Thunder made their way to Indianapolis and ended the Pacers' five-game win streak with a 120-114 comeback victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular with 45 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Tyrese Haliburton managed only four points and eight assists. Aaron Nesmith did not play for the Pacers, and that may have had something to do with Indiana's defensive struggles, as the Thunder put together a 17-7 run to close the game. While both teams posted solid shooting percentages, the Thunder ultimately took six more shots because they forced the Pacers into 11 turnovers, while committing only three of their own. — Eric Nehm What happened in OKC in March? Oklahoma City, amid an eight-game winning streak and having won 15 of its last 16 games, used a dominant second and third quarter — scoring 73 points — to breeze past a feisty, fast Indiana unit 132-111. Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 33 points, but Oklahoma City's floor spacing was the biggest theme in this one, as the Thunder connected on 17 3s (hitting 47.2 percent of them). From an overall offensive standpoint, this was an aesthetically pleasing game; the Pacers finished with 27 assists, while the Thunder dished out 26. Oklahoma City also scored 58 points in the paint, and that inside-outside dominance gave the Thunder the edge. — Kelly Iko Nehm: Watch for Haliburton's ability to conduct offense against the Thunder's elite defense. Advertisement Anthony Edwards, one of the league's budding young stars, found himself describing the Thunder's defense as '15 puppets on one string' after running into a wall of Oklahoma City defenders for five games in the Western Conference finals. Edwards was rarely able to find space, while also being forced to play through one of the league's most physical defenses. That is the same problem that awaits Haliburton in the NBA Finals and we saw exactly why that caused problems in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. With their backs against the wall, the New York Knicks came out with a desperate effort and turned up the physicality and ball pressure on Haliburton and effectively took the Pacers' All-NBA point guard out of the game. After filling up the stat sheet with a superstar stat line in Game 4, Haliburton managed only eight points and six assists in Game 5 and the Pacers shot 40.5 percent from the field, their worst shooting percentage of any playoff game this season. While that Game 5 performance was an outlier thus far for them in the postseason, the defense the Pacers saw from the Knicks is the standard the Thunder have brought to the table on a nightly basis this entire season. The Thunder were the league's best regular-season defense by a sizable gap and the same has been true in the postseason. They have two players that were named to this year's All-Defensive teams — first team for Lu Dort and second team for Jalen Williams — with a few more players (Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein) that would have been worthy of consideration if they had played in more games. The Thunder's calling card is physical defense and that means the Pacers' free-flowing, fast-paced offense, captained by Haliburton, will need to be prepared to play through contact to move from one action to the next and not get bogged down by handsy defenders or attempting to passively attack switches. Look at this possession from their Dec. 26 matchup: The Thunder have enough defensive talent that the Pacers will not be able to find easy targets as they often did against the New York Knicks and then focus their offensive action on confusing and exposing those porous defenders. Oklahoma City's switches will give Indiana opportunities with advantageous mismatches, but the Pacers cannot get stuck trying to exploit those matchups and playing outside of their normal game. They'll need to maintain their discipline and keep the ball moving, as they have done so well in most games this postseason, and play through the Thunder's physicality. Is defense impossible to play today's spread-out NBA? Not to the Thunder. They've found the secret to putting the clamps on their opponents. Iko: Keep an eye on the Jalen Williams/Isaiah Hartenstein tandem versus Myles Turner and drop coverage. Williams earned both All-NBA and All-Defensive honors this season, and his emergence as a reliable two-way secondary scorer and creator has been one of the biggest reasons for Oklahoma City's success. Advertisement During the Thunder's postseason run, Williams' number has been called on numerous occasions as defenses naturally key in on Gilgeous-Alexander. There have been a few counters that head coach Mark Daigneault has implemented — for example, using one of Williams or Dort to initiate offense in the half court, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander to catch the ball on the move (and hopefully against a mismatch) — but expect a heavy dosage of Williams with the ball in his hands. The possession below from the late March meeting illustrates exactly how Williams can be an impactful component against Indiana's defensive coverage. Over the past two seasons, Williams' proficiency in the midrange has become an integral part of the Thunder's half-court setup, finishing the regular season in the 93rd and 96th percentile in midrange attempts, according to Cleaning the Glass. (There's also an important caveat to this series: the arrival of Holmgren, who didn't feature against the Pacers this season because of injury.) Hartenstein is an underrated screen setter with a large frame and is adept at essentially forcing switches. Because of how Indiana will use Turner in defending pick-and-roll scenarios (drop coverage), Williams should have the freedom to choose whether or not he wants to exploit a mismatch: Or force Turner to choose between stepping up to contest a potential pull-up or hanging closer to the rim. His indecisiveness could cost the Pacers on key possessions: Outside of Turner, Indiana doesn't boast a ton of rim protection, so it would behoove the Thunder to involve him in as much action as possible. In the March meeting, Williams finished the game with 18 points and six assists on 7-of-14 shooting. If the conference finals are a good reference point, expect Williams to be even more aggressive than what the Pacers are used to — whether it's creating a shot for himself or a teammate. Nehm: For the Pacers, it's Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard. Indiana has two players who have been named to All-Star and All-NBA teams. Haliburton is the engine that runs the Pacers' spectacular offensive attack, and Pascal Siakam is the do-it-all forward who has taken Indiana's offense and defense to elite levels during the last two postseasons. Those two take care of the big-picture production every team needs its stars to handle, but Nesmith and Nembhard have often provided the heart and soul of the Pacers' effort, which includes a physical edge on defense and clutch playmaking on offense. Their effort is going to be essential again in the NBA Finals. Advertisement When these two teams met on March 29, the Pacers started the game with Nembhard covering Gilgeous-Alexander and Nesmith taking the early defensive responsibility for Williams. It seems fair to expect that those will be the matchups when this series gets underway June 5, but Nesmith will likely be the second option on Gilgeous-Alexander. In that Oklahoma City blowout win in March, Gilgeous-Alexander drew four fouls against Nembhard and one against Nesmith. One of the fouls by Nembhard came in the form of a take foul at the end of the second quarter, but the point stands: Nembhard and Nesmith will need to find a way to frustrate the MVP without racking up fouls. Avoiding foul trouble will be important because both Nembhard and Nesmith have been vital to the Pacers' offensive production throughout this postseason run. The beauty of the Pacers' offense is that, while Haliburton conducts it beautifully and Siakam is as steady as they come, the rest of the roster has shown an ability to take advantage of openings presented by opposing defenses, even if those chances have come against elite defensive talents. Watch Nesmith make a play here against the Knicks' OG Anunoby, who finished one spot outside of this year's All-Defensive Team voting, after Haliburton bent the defense slightly in Game 3 of the East finals: If the Pacers stand any chance of beating the Thunder, they will need the heart and soul of their roster to make massive contributions on both ends. Iko: For the Thunder, it's their transition defense. The more you examine this matchup, you'll find that there are several similarities between the teams. During the regular season, the Pacers averaged 17.5 fast-break points per game, compared to the Thunder's 16.1. (Both teams also mirror each other in points in the paint.) In the playoffs, Indiana and Oklahoma City have separated themselves from the pack in part due to their ability to limit opposing teams from scoring in transition. According to tracking data, entering Thursday, the Pacers have allowed just 8.9 points per game in transition, first among playoff teams. The Thunder are second at 9.1. Advertisement Given that both teams play at breakneck speed, it certainly helps that, on routine occasions, the Thunder possess All-Defensive talents in Williams and Dort, who can cover ground and prevent what would be advantageous scoring opportunities. The Pacers have also quietly regressed in their overall power play proficiency from last season, which occurs in situations where Indiana has a plus-1 numbers advantage on the break. This series could come down to how often the Thunder find themselves defending transition plays where they are down two men. In those chances, the Pacers are still elite — scoring 1.371 points per chance with the second-highest frequency. Nehm: Thunder in 6 … This Pacers team deserves respect. They have been able to find solutions to every problem presented to them this postseason because of the talent on their roster and the cohesiveness of their group, fostered by Rick Carlisle, one of the NBA's best coaches. All of that, however, might not end up being enough against the Thunder, who ran away with the league's best regular-season record and breezed through the West bracket. Iko: Thunder in 5 … The West semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, which went seven games, will be the closest any team will get to eliminating Oklahoma City. This will be an entertaining series, and I believe the Pacers have what it takes to shock the world and steal Game 1 on the road. But the Thunder's utter dismantling of the Wolves in five games should serve as a reminder of the two-way wrecking ball that this team is. SGA is on another level, Williams has ascended as well, and their defense is simply too aggressive, too dominant and too versatile to fail. Tyrese Haliburton is unique in every single way as a playmaker. Because of that, so are his Indiana Pacers. (Top photo of Isaiah Hartenstein and Pascal Siakam: William Purnell / Getty Images)
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How to Watch the 2025 NBA Playoffs Online Without Cable
Variety and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The NBA playoffs are in full switch, with all eyes on the defeating the reigning NBA Champions Boston Celtics and hoisting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in June. Advertisement More from Variety Coverage for the NBA Playoffs is split across various networks, such as TNT, ESPN and ABC, with a variety of ways to stream the action live online without cable. Below is everything you need to know to watch the 2025 NBA Playoffs: When Are the 2025 NBA Playoffs? The NBA Playoffs games are scheduled until the NBA Finals in June. For a complete schedule for the NBA Playoffs, including matchups, networks and start times, click here. How to Watch the 2025 NBA Playoffs on TV NBA Playoff games broadcast across TNT, ESPN and ABC. If you don't have cable, there are still plenty of ways stream the game live online on streamers such as Sling TV, Hulu+ Live TV and DirecTV. How to Stream the 2025 NBA Playoffs Online Sling TV is the most comprehensive and affordable way to stream all the necessary networks for the Playoffs. The streamer's Sling Orange + Blue package includes ESPN, TNT and ABC. Plus, a limited-time deal cuts the price of your first month down to $33 (afterwards $65.99/month). Advertisement To watch NBA TV, you'll want to sign up for their Orange + Blue Package with 'Sports Extra' add-on, which also includes the sports network. 'Sports Extra' is an additional $11/Month to the price of Sling Orange + Blue. Get: Sling TV Orange + Blue Hulu + Live TV is another great way to catch all the action live, with the option to record the games to watch later with Cloud DVR. In addition to having access to all the networks that will be broadcasting this year's NBA Playoffs (ABC, ESPN and TNT), you'll also be able to watch Hulu's extensive lineup of original shows and movies. Best of all? Hulu + Live TV has a 3-day free trial, so you can try before you commit. Get: Hulu + Live TV Advertisement Starting at $34.99/month (and a 5-day free trial), DirecTV has every channel you'll need to catch all the best games from the NBA Playoffs. It boasts the most RSNs and special features for sports fanatics, in addition to the major networks, like TNT, ESPN and ABC. Get: 5-day Free Trial at Directv Stream Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
