Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals represented a low point for the NBA on television. And in many ways, Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals felt like a renaissance.
Years of discontent with increasingly moribund production culminated in widespread disappointment during last year’s opening game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. It felt like a random Wednesday night in January instead of a great sporting event. Nothing about the game or the television presentation truly resonated as the ultimate event in basketball.
Compared to any other championship presentation, there were no special effects to speak of. The ESPN studio coverage was almost unwatchable thanks to a mix of Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins arguing like an episode of First Take in primetime and an avalanche of commercials.
The introduction to the game had no introduction of starting lineups, no national anthem, and no sense of any energy in the building or importance of the occasion.
During the game, there was no indication that viewers were actually watching the NBA Finals. The Larry O’Brien trophy on the court was absent and there were no traditional Finals decals. But at least YouTube TV got plenty of attention as the presenting sponsor. And fans were watching a broadcast crew in Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson, and Doris Burke that had limited chemistry and was already due for an overhaul for the next season.
None of these things happened overnight, but they slowly built over time to create something that did not meet the moment.
Thankfully, the NBA and ESPN made the necessary changes to make the NBA Finals stand out once again.
Some of those changes were already implemented midway through the 2025 Finals, but they were fully in place for the 2026 edition.
Arguably the biggest change happened well before the opening tip with the Inside the NBA team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal anchoring studio coverage on both ESPN and ABC. And they were given the time and space needed to do their thing. After so many years without the chance to work the Finals for TNT, it was an incredible sight for basketball fans to see them finally featured on the sport’s biggest showcase.
As the broadcast properly started, the ABC Finals introduction was worthy of goosebumps.
From there, a very quick opening from Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson, and Tim Legler led to the national anthem and introduction of starting lineups. After the Knicks lineup was introduced with a giant chyron on the screen, we got the full experience for the home team anchored by budding global superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Finally, the Larry O’Brien trophy was back at midcourt with the traditional NBA Finals script located in the frontcourt on each end. And the dozens of YouTube TV logos were gone with the streaming platform no longer a presenting sponsor for the Finals.
Sure, the raucous atmosphere in San Antonio, the colorful fiesta theme, and the vocal presence of many Knicks fans in the crowd gave Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals almost a college-like atmosphere. But every piece of the presentation lifted the game instead of detracting from it. And that’s what it should be for an event the magnitude of the NBA Finals. After years of wandering through the wilderness, it finally felt like basketball fans reached the promised land.
About Matt Yoder