Basketball Fans Loved Small Tweak ABC Made to Broadcast to Make NBA Finals Feel Bigger

The NBA world received a pleasant surprise Monday when news broke that ESPN and ABC planned to broadcast the starting lineup introductions ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, who first reported the news, said Monday's Game 5 marked the first time the league has broadcasted starting introductions since 2013.

Shortly before tipoff, the public address announcer at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City breezed through the Pacers' starting five before he got to the moment the home fans were waiting for—bringing out the Thunder.

A hype video played, the Thunder mascot—Rumble the Bison—waved a huge flag to pump up the crowd and massive cheers roared as Oklahoma City's starting five was announced. And whether you were inside the arena or not, you could feel the buzz:

And the basketball world widely applauded the league and ABC/ESPN for putting the player intros back on the NBA Finals broadcast:

The move to broadcast player introductions comes after the league was criticized for the Finals not feeling like a big enough event. Earlier in the series, fans pointed to clumsy on-court graphics that cheapened the look of the broadcast, rather than heightening it.

Given the reaction the player introductions got on Monday night, it feels as though the league succeeded in making the game’s broadcast live up to its importance.

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