OKLAHOMA CITY — There is another side to the discussion of this being the “small market NBA Finals,” one that has nothing to do with concerns over potentially low TV ratings.

The players and coaches who live and work in Oklahoma City and Indianapolis, well, they seem to really like it. They feel supported by seemingly familiar faces and sense a lack of cynicism and expectation that seems to go with playing in the big cities like New York and Los Angeles.

The Thunder and Pacers, who met reporters Wednesday for NBA Finals Media Day, want the charm of their, colloquially speaking, small hometowns to come across to what they hope is a viewing audience of millions.

The series, which features a team in the United States’ 47th-largest TV market, Oklahoma City, playing against another in the na

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