The Thunder were at home Sunday night to face the Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Indiana stunned Oklahoma City in Game 1 with a 111-110 win.
However, OKC quickly jumped to a lead in Game 2 and never looked back. In the end, OKC won 123-107, and the series is tied 1-1. After Game 1 last Thursday, the league was criticized for the lack of Finals decals on the court. ESPN/ABC’s plan for Game 2 was to superimpose the Larry O’Brien Trophy and NBA Finals script logo on the court. This move received even more backlash than they originally had. Adding the Finals logo to the court is an easy fix the league needs to make in the future.
ABC/ESPN was criticized for superimposing the Larry O’Brien Trophy and NBA Finals script logo in Game 2
The NBA added digital trophies to the court then switched them out for the Finals logo 💀
What an embarrassment, the league used to have aura 😭 pic.twitter.com/zQu2aqflbf
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) June 9, 2025
After Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, one major talking point in the media was the lack of branding by the league. ABC/ESPN has been the home of the NBA Finals since 2003. They’re under contract through 2036. The 2020 playoffs were the last time the league had any type of Finals branding on the court. Additionally, the large physical trophy decals haven’t been used since 2009.
There was no branding by the league in Game 1 that would let the viewer know they were watching a Finals game. To a casual viewer, this was just another regular-season game. For Game 2, ABC/ESPN did make a change. They digitally superimposed the Larry O’Brien Trophy and NBA Finals script logo in Game 2. In the first quarter, it was the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the second quarter had the NBA Finals script logo.
Despite the league trying to please the fans, it received even more backlash. There were complaints of low resolution for the Larry O’Brien Trophy and that the graphic was too small. Fans pointed out that a quick cut by the camera would distort the image they were superimposing. What will the league do for Game 3 on Wednesday? They could ditch the branding altogether, like they did in Game 1, or try to improve on their Game 2 graphics.
