Are NBA Finals Scores Usually Odd or Even? The Surprising Pattern

I’ve always been fascinated by the little quirks in sports that nobody really talks about. You know, the kind of stuff that doesn’t make it into the highlight reels but somehow sticks with you. For me, one of those curiosities is whether NBA Finals scores tend to be odd or even. It sounds almost silly when you say it out loud—why would it matter? But as someone who’s spent years watching basketball, crunching stats for fun, and even placing the occasional bet, I’ve come to appreciate how these small patterns can reveal something bigger about the game we love. So, when I stumbled across some data from ArenaPlus recently, I couldn’t resist digging deeper. And what I found honestly surprised me.

Let’s start with the basics. In basketball, scores change rapidly—two points for a layup, three for a shot beyond the arc, one for a free throw. You’d think all that variety would make it impossible to predict whether a final score ends in an odd or even number. But over the years, I’ve noticed something: close games, especially in high-stakes moments like the Finals, often seem to land on one side more than the other. Take last year’s Game 5 between the Celtics and the Warriors. The final score was 108–105. Both odd. At the time, I remember thinking how neat it looked, but I brushed it off as a coincidence. Then I started looking back, and the pattern kept popping up.

According to that ArenaPlus analysis from September 2024, there’s actually a slight but noticeable lean toward odd scores in the NBA Finals. Out of the last 30 Finals games they examined, around 60% ended with at least one team’s total being an odd number. Now, I know—60% isn’t a landslide. But in a sport where every possession counts, that’s a pretty interesting tilt. Think about it: if scores were totally random, you’d expect a near 50–50 split. But they’re not, and I think I’ve figured out why. Free throws. Yeah, those unglamorous shots from the line. In tight games, fouls pile up, and those single-point increments can push a score from even to odd in a heartbeat. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen a team down by two get fouled, sink one free throw, and suddenly the dynamics shift.

But it’s not just about free throws. The pace of the game matters too. In the Finals, defenses tighten up, and every basket feels like a battle. That often leads to lower-scoring quarters where odd numbers have more room to shine. Let me give you an example from memory: the 2013 Finals, Game 6, Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs. Ray Allen’s iconic corner three sent the game into overtime, and the final score was 103–100. Odd again. I was watching that game with friends, and we were all on the edge of our seats. Nobody was thinking about odd or even then, but looking back, it fits the trend perfectly.

Now, I’ll admit—I have a soft spot for even scores. There’s something satisfying about a clean, round number, like 100 or 110. It feels balanced, like the game wrapped up neatly. But the data doesn’t care about my preferences. In fact, when I compared Finals games to regular-season matchups, the odd-score bias was even more pronounced in the playoffs. ArenaPlus pointed out that in the 2022 Finals alone, four out of six games featured at least one odd final score. That’s roughly 67%, which honestly blew my mind. It made me wonder if pressure plays a role. Under the bright lights, players might take riskier shots or draw more fouls, leading to those one-point nudges.

Of course, not everyone buys into this. I’ve had friends argue that it’s all random—that over a large enough sample, things even out. And they’re not entirely wrong. If you look at the entire history of the NBA, the difference is minimal. But in the Finals? Where every game is dissected for decades? I think there’s a story here. It’s like how in baseball, some pitchers have a knack for inducing ground balls, or in soccer, certain teams score more headers. These subtle tendencies shape the sport in ways we often overlook.

What really cemented this for me was Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. Cavaliers vs. Warriors, the ultimate showdown. The final score was 93–89. Both odd. I remember the silence in the room after LeBron’s block and Kyrie’s three—everyone was too stunned to speak. Later, when I checked the box score, it hit me: odd numbers had been there all along, quietly part of the drama. It’s moments like these that make me love sports analytics. You don’t need complex algorithms to find beauty in the numbers; sometimes, it’s right there in the digits.

So, where does that leave us? Well, if you’re like me and enjoy a good trivia tidbit, maybe you’ll start noticing this in the next Finals. Or perhaps you’ll use it to impress your friends during a watch party—I know I have. But beyond the fun, it’s a reminder that basketball, for all its chaos, has rhythms and patterns waiting to be discovered. Odd or even, it’s all part of the game’s magic. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.