When the Florida Gators took on the Houston Cougars in the 2025 NCAA National Championship—a game the Gators won in thrilling fashion, 65–63, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas—it truly felt like a championship event. The game was played on a special, elevated court, and the full player introductions were broadcast. A viewer tuning into college basketball for the first time that night immediately knew was the sports’ biggest stage—the true culmination of March Madness. Everything about the pregame setup, from the court to the primetime atmosphere and network presentation, screamed “championship.” It didn’t just look like a title game—it felt like one from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
The same could not be said about the NBA Finals. I’ll go even further and say the Finals has lost its luster. Despite being the pinnacle of professional basketball, the Finals often feel like just another playoff series—same arena setups, same broadcast graphics, and sometimes even local-feeling coverage. The presentation lacks the distinctiveness and spectacle that once made the Finals appointment viewing. There’s no elevated court, no special intro packages to distinguish it from a second-round matchup, and sometimes, the energy just doesn’t match the magnitude of what’s at stake.
The NBA has shown glimpses of what an elevated presentation can look like. For example, during the In-Season Tournament, every team plays on a custom-designed court with matching alternate jerseys—instantly signaling to viewers that these games are different even before the ball is tipped.
Back in 2005, the NBA Finals between the Spurs and Pistons introduced large Larry O’Brien Trophy decals at center court, giving the series a bold, championship-specific identity. The league continued that tradition through 2009 when the Lakers defeated the Magic but then quietly abandoned the decals beginning with the 2010 Finals between the Lakers and Celtics.. It’s those small, visual cues that can elevate a game from just another playoff matchup to a true marquee event, and the NBA Finals are missing that extra layer of spectacle.
Another key piece of that spectacle used to be the televised player introductions. Until 2013, the NBA Finals consistently opened with the full starting lineups presented live on television—a simple but powerful tradition that signaled, without a doubt, that this was not just Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals. In fact, even Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Cavaliers and Celtics received televised introductions, showing how the league once leaned into high-stakes moments regardless of round. However, after the 2013 Finals, the NBA stopped airing introductions during the championship series, drawing plenty of criticism from fans who missed that extra bit of drama and pageantry.
Perhaps the league finally listened to fans’ cries for the return of player introductions before Finals games because they made their return after 12 years away before Game 5 of this year's Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. ABC would also air the player introductions for Games 6 and 7. If the NBA wants the Finals to truly feel like the biggest stage in sports, it needs to reimagine the entire viewing experience—not just the basketball. That means building a visual and emotional identity unique to the championship series. Here are some ways in which the NBA can accomplish this goal:
The NBA has never lacked star power or high-level basketball. What’s been missing is the spectacle that tells casual fans, “You can’t miss this.” The league has all the tools—it just needs to embrace the opportunity to make the Finals feel legendary again.
