The Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a phenomenal start on Tuesday when they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
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The Thunder are now three wins away from reaching their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012. The Timberwolves will look to tie things up on Thursday for Game 2 at the Paycom Center after they lost complete control on Tuesday.
While those two teams will look to do that, the NBA hopes that the viewership for Game 2 will be substantially better than it was in Game 1.
Per Sports Media Watch, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Thunder drew an average of 5.36 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2.
That figure makes it the least-watched conference finals opener since the 2021 Clippers-Suns matchup on ABC, which aired a month off schedule on Father’s Day and averaged just 4.72 million viewers.
Excluding the pandemic-affected postseasons of 2020 and 2021, this was the least-viewed Game 1 of a conference final since the 2013 Grizzlies-Spurs opener on ABC (4.85 million).
It was also the least-watched conference finals game overall since Game 4 of Bucks-Raptors on TNT in 2019, which averaged 5.3 million viewers.
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Viewership for Game 1 of this season’s Western Conference Finals was down 24% from last season, per @paulsen_smw Excluding the COVID-delayed playoffs of 2020 and 2021, it was the least-watched Conference Finals opener since Grizzlies-Spurs on ABC in 2013 pic.twitter.com/8Noid236VD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 21, 2025
This is bad news for the NBA, which has recently struggled with viewership, especially compared to the NFL.
The game itself was entertaining until the late third quarter to the fourth. The Thunder blew the doors open and won by a final score of 114-88. Oklahoma City put the clamps on the Timberwolves, only allowing 40 points in the final 24 minutes of action.
Despite both teams boasting elite talent—including newly crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rising star Anthony Edwards—their overall appeal hasn’t fully resonated with casual fans.
One likely factor is market size. Minnesota and Oklahoma City aren’t traditionally considered marquee markets, which can impact national visibility, even when star power is abundant. For one reason or another, fans didn’t tune in, and the NBA will hope for big games in Game 2.
The Eastern Conference Finals are set to begin Wednesday, with the New York Knicks welcoming the Indiana Pacers to Madison Square Garden. As the Knicks represent the league’s largest media market, the NBA is likely anticipating a boost in viewership for the second night of the conference finals.
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