The Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers NBA Finals are officially underway—but based on the court design, you'd never know.
Unlike courts of eras gone by, which have included things like a cursive "Finals" decal and/or a graphic of the Larry O'Brien trophy, the league opted to keep things ... pretty plain for this year's championship. And fans online are none too pleased.
To them, this bland court design isn't representative of the moment. This is the season-ending series, the league's biggest stage, the top of the mountain these teams have spent all season climbing—where is the fanfare?!
So, as they are wont to do, said fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain.
Take a look at that reaction below:
For the life of me I cannot understand why the in season tournament has a brand new court with a trophy in the middle but the NBA FINALS court now is regular as hell and straight auraless
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) June 5, 2025
Put the Larry O’Brien back at center court and bring the cursive writing back too.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 6, 2025
Make the finals look & feel like The Finals.
Still can’t believe the NBA got rid of the trophy at center court https://t.co/vBEtFKFyyq pic.twitter.com/BHeaMuoTkw
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 6, 2025
What happened to the game I love. We used to have NBA Finals on the court and the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Now it’s YouTube TV 💔 pic.twitter.com/KTqwXufKGJ
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) June 6, 2025
ive always been upset that they removed the trophy in the middle but you guys can't even have "The Finals" on the court anymore???? SMH https://t.co/NgUSBfg6XD pic.twitter.com/hMayipP7V8
— Dean 💍 #FirePDB (@PrimeTimeDean) June 6, 2025
Not a Larry O'Brien in sight https://t.co/9L7QEu2U6T
— Kofie (@Kofie) June 5, 2025
no announcing of the starting lineups on the broadcast? no added flair to the court? the nba does not do a good enough job of making the nba finals feel like a special event.
— Jasmyn Wimbish (@JasmynWimbish) June 6, 2025
It’s the NBA Finals and the NBA didn’t even show the National Anthem, Pre-Game intros, no logo on court or jerseys. These are little things but they’re so important for the experience.
— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) June 6, 2025
Everything about this NBA Finals presentation looks like a regular season game.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) June 6, 2025
Starting lineups on a quick graphic. No trophy or FINALS on the court. No patches on the jerseys. Just a tiny logo on the scorebug. It used to be better.
NBA once again severely missing out by:
— Josh Medi (@MediJo20) June 6, 2025
- not putting the Larry O Brien trophy decal on center court
- not even putting the damn “Finals” script on the court (instead I get to see “YouTubeTV”)
- not having a unique score bug for the Finals
Adam Silver this is on you, “buddy”
I will say this about The Finals so far:
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 6, 2025
The crowd is certainly acting like this is a championship game, but nothing else about it signals NBA Finals.
It almost feels like one of those group final games of the NBA Cup in November/December.
No “Finals” or trophy on the court…
As some fans pointed out, the in-season Emirates NBA Cup saw more exciting court designs than the league's equivalent of the Super Bowl.
Seems like a marketing oversight by @NBA to have no markings on the Finals court. Contrast that with the fully painted In-Season Tournament. pic.twitter.com/xSGCGAXzKF
— Ben Riggs (@Benjamin_Riggs) June 6, 2025
the nba cup has more aura than the playoffs and finals i swear to god. it's as simple as changing the court. this is what okc's nba cup court looked like. the difference is huge. pic.twitter.com/Y3seJtN7zh
— ’ (@wllhiwrfinished) June 6, 2025
The NBA will do this for a tournament nobody wants or cares about. Zero Finals recognition on the court. Baffling pic.twitter.com/UbR4TQjgtu
— jared (@redjays) June 6, 2025
To be fair, this is not the only Finals match-up without on-court decals. Indeed, the league has mostly done away with it in the last ten years, citing concerns regarding player safety (that they will slip on the decoration).
But there is clearly still an appetite for it—so maybe if we act now, Adam Silver can get something out on the court for Game 2. Chop, chop!
More NBA Finals on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Fans Weren't Pleased With League's Bland Court Design for Thunder-Pacers Finals.
