In the world of TV markets and sports ratings, the expression “Bigger is better” usually applies. Yet after a pretty thrilling round of playoffs, the NBA Finals — a showdown between teams representing two of the smallest cities in the league — will put that assumption to the test.

Tipping off Thursday, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder both bring young superstars to the party, including recently anointed league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But they also hail from Indianapolis and Oklahoma City, which rank No. 25 and 47, respectively, out of the more than 200 individually measured designated market areas (or DMAs) in the U.S., placing them among the bottom seven of the NBA’s 30 teams. (Top-ranked New York, whose Knicks were just bounced from the playoffs, boasts a pair of franch

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