Throughout the season, Oklahoma City dominated the Western Conference, consistently maintaining their lead. Meanwhile, Indiana struggled through a rough start and wasn’t leading the Eastern Conference until more than halfway through the season. Nevertheless, both teams have made it to the NBA Finals.
The Finals, which begin Thursday night in Oklahoma City, will feature an intriguing clash between the Thunder and the Pacers—two teams that took very different routes to reach this pinnacle.
Indiana’s coach Rick Carlisle expressed the intensity and significance of this opportunity. “When you get to this point of the season, it’s two teams and it’s one goal and so it becomes an all or nothing thing,” Carlisle said. “Oklahoma City is a formidable opponent, having been consistently impressive. Their defense has been historically imposing, and offensively, they’re well-equipped with scorers. It’s two teams with similar structures but slightly different styles.”
Both teams commenced in-depth preparations on Sunday. This came a day after Indiana secured their Eastern Conference title by eliminating New York in six games. While the Pacers took Sunday off to regroup before resuming practice on Monday, the Thunder continued their workouts in Oklahoma City.
Thunder guard Jalen Williams emphasized the necessity of staying focused on each win. “We always talk about human nature in our locker room. The human nature way of thinking about it is ‘four wins away, four wins away.’ But you’ve got to focus on winning one game at a time to reach four,” he said. With Indiana now identified as their opponent, the focus is directed toward winning the opening game.
While Oklahoma City only lost 14 games all season up until December, Indiana was struggling, having dropped 14 games by early in the same month. This contrast might suggest their finals appearance as unlikely. However, since December 13, Oklahoma City boasts the NBA’s top record of 61-13 through both regular season and playoff games. Indiana follows closely behind with a 52-21 record in that timeframe.
Indiana’s player, Tyrese Haliburton, divulged that their progression is not unexpected. “We had expectations to be here, and this isn’t a surprise to any of us because of what we wanted to do,” Haliburton said. He acknowledged a pivotal turn in their performance around December or January, crediting the team with their focus on the present.
Heading into the NBA Finals, the Pacers were seen as an underdog, given their preseason 50-1 odds for a championship at BetMGM Sportsbook. On the other hand, the Thunder were only held at 9-1 odds before the season started, trailing Boston, New York, Denver, and Minnesota—teams they overcame in the playoffs.
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein reflected, “We’ve learned a lot throughout this season. Navigating various situations has prepared us well for what lies ahead.”