How To Watch the NBA Finals With DISH: Schedule, Odds, and More
The 2025 NBA Playoffs have already featured a number of historic firsts and we’re about to get another. The NBA will have a first-time champion in 2025, as the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder will face off in the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday, June 5 on ABC. To get you ready for the series, here’s how to watch the NBA Finals with DISH, plus the schedule, odds, and more. Not a DISH subscriber? Follow this link to find the best offer and subscribe to DISH today!
What is the NBA Finals Schedule?
The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 5 at 8:30pm ET on ABC. Here is the full 7-game schedule:
• Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110
• Game 2: Thunder 123, Pacers 107
• Game 3: Thunder at Pacers (Wed. June 11, 8:30 ET)
• Game 4: Thunder at Pacers (Fri. June 13, 8:30 ET)
• Game 5: Pacers at Thunder (Mon. June 16, 8:30 ET)*
• Game 6: Thunder at Pacers (Thu. June 19, 8:30 ET)*
• Game 7: Pacers at Thunder (Sun, June 22, 8 ET)*
*if necessary
Who is the Broadcasting Team For the NBA Finals?
Mike Breen will once again be the main play-by-play announcer for the NBA Finals, extending his record-setting run of 105 NBA Finals games (and counting). However, for the second year in a row, Breen will have new partners at the desk. Hall of Fame broadcaster Doris Burke returns to call her second consecutive NBA Finals, but after former NBA star J.J. Reddick left broadcasting to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA champion Richard Jefferson is taking over as the color commentator. Lisa Salters will once again be sideline reporter.
What are the Odds For Each Team and MVP?
As of June 4, DraftKings lists the Thunder as heavy -700 favorites (meaning you’d have to wager $700 to win $100), with the Pacers fetching +500 odds (a $100 bet would pay out $500). As for Finals MVP favorites, unsurprisingly, the regular season MVP, OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, currently has the shortest odds to win. Next up are two Pacers players, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, followed by the other members of the Thunders' new Big 3, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
NBA Finals MVP Odds (per DraftKings)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-600)
Tyrese Haliburton (+750)
Pascal Siakam (+1600)
Jalen Williams (+3500)
Chet Holmgren (+8000)
Myles Turner (+20000)
Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
With respect to the storied history of the Seattle Supersonics – who went to three NBA Finals, winning once – this is the team’s best chance for a championship since Oklahoma City got the franchise ahead of the 2008 season. Not only does Oklahoma City have the MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but they had a record-setting regular season in which they won a franchise-best 68 games.
Heading into the Finals, OKC has only lost four games in three rounds of the playoffs. Their defense has been absolutely smothering, holding stars like Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards well below their season averages. Lu Dort and Jalen Williams both made the NBA’s all-defense team, and Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso have been pesky throughout the playoffs.
Despite having the league’s most valuable player, the Thunder’s biggest strength might actually be their depth. OKC will frequently use eight or nine players, giving their opponents no respite when their stars are resting on the bench. There’s a good reason why the Thunder are such heavy favorites: They have the look of not only a champion, but a dynasty in the making.
Indiana Pacers Preview
The Pacers should not be here. They entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed and although Indiana dispatched the Bucks in the first round, they were heavy underdogs in their second round series against the top-seeded Cavaliers. But after stunning, last second wins in Games 1 and 2, the Pacers broke Cleveland’s spirit and took them out in five games. And after upsetting the Knicks in an all-time classic series opener in the Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana was able to finish off New York in six games. Like the Thunder, they enter the NBA Finals having only lost four playoff games, with an impressive 6-2 record on the road.
The Thunder will be their biggest test. To win, the Pacers will need more magic from star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is having a postseason for the ages. He has not only improved his scoring, rebounding, and assist averages over the regular season, but he has also proven to be one of the best clutch performers in the league. Haliburton hit last second game-winners or tying shots in all three series and has shown a level of poise that his entire team will need to beat the Thunder.
The other big contributor to Indiana’s success has been Pascal Siakam, who won MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals (perhaps to Haliburton’s surprise). Siakam is leading the Pacers in points (21.1) and rebounds (5.8) in the playoffs, and he has something else the Pacers desperately need: Championship experience. That’s also true of coach Rick Carlisle, who piloted the Dallas Mavericks’ upset of the Big 3-era Miami Heat in 2011. This would be an upset of similar proportions, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned in these playoffs, it’s perilous to doubt the Pacers.
Who Are the Starters For the Thunder and Pacers?
As mentioned above, both teams are loaded with talented players, both in the starting five and coming off the bench. Here are the projected starting rosters for both teams, along with bench players who are likely to get some minutes:
Oklahoma City Thunder Starters
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – PG
Lu Dort – SG
Chet Holmgren – PF
Jalen Williams – SF
Isaiah Hartenstein – C
Bench
Cason Wallace – PG
Alex Caruso – SG
Aaron Wiggins – PF
Jaylin Williams – C
Isaiah Joe - SF
Indiana Pacers Starters
Tyrese Haliburton – PG
Andrew Nembhard – SG
Pascal Siakam – PF
Aaron Nesmith – SF
Myles Turner – C
Bench
Bennedict Mathurin – SF
T.J. McConnell – PG
Obi Toppin – PF
Ben Sheppard – G
