Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals brim with interesting storylines

MANILA, Philippines — Will Oklahoma City rumble, or will Indiana set the pace?

With the NBA Finals reaching its crescendo, multiple storylines are thrust into the limelight as the battle for basketball supremacy starts Friday (Manila time).

It will be the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven war – two of the youngest teams in the league, both of which are coming from what some may describe as small market teams.

According to the league, the Thunder, led by season Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has an average age of 25.6 years old, the second youngest team since the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers to make it to the finals.

OKC was also the youngest team in the league entering the season with an average of 24.148, while the Pacers were at 25.263.

Despite the youth, the two teams showed solid play offensively and defensively in the postseason.

The squads were second and third in points per game this postseason. Indiana scored 117.4 points per game while Oklahoma City is just .3 points behind.

The Pacers are also the best-shooting team this playoffs with 49.7%, while OKC is fourth with 46.4%.

But perhaps the biggest stat here is this — both teams are also at the bottom half of this season’s payroll and are below the tax threshold.

According to Spotrac, Indiana is 18th in total budget this season with $169,149,491 in payroll. On the other hand, OKC is 25th with $165,601,091.

With all these in store, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said at an online press conference Monday (Manila time) that this showcases that if a team is managed well, they “could compete for a championship regardless of market size.”

“What we’ve seen is there are different ways that a team can construct themselves to win a championship. I think with the case of the Oklahoma City Thunder, they’ve done it not just by drafting well but by also going out and getting some great acquisitions, right?” Tatum said, focusing on the signing of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.

“These were acquisitions that they put together in free agency and through trades with the combination of drafting well – of drafting a Chet Holmgren as an example. That’s what we want and that’s what our goal was in the CBA is to give teams various tools to be able to construct teams in different ways,” he added.

“What you’re seeing is these teams have been put together in those ways [with] a combination of draft picks, a combination of trades and a combination of free agency acquisitions.”

Tatum also looked back to his first Finals working for the NBA, back in 2000, when the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Pacers.

“My first Finals was in 2000. I’ll never forget walking into that building and the passion [there]. Indiana in the U.S. is the “Hoosier State” – there’s a famous movie [called] “Hoosiers” and basketball is life in Indiana,” he said.

“So, to see those fans get there to the Finals, the passion that they have, the desire to win a championship is remarkable,” he added.

'Competitive series'

OKC has been a model of team-building.

From their time of having eventual MVPs Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden at the same time, to the Paul George and Carmelo Anthony era, to a rebuild where they did not qualify to three straight playoffs, the Thunder are now four wins away from the title.

Last season, they lost in the conference semifinals against eventual finalists Dallas Mavericks. And now after a first round sweep against the Memphis Grizzlies, a grueling seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets and a five-game masterclass against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, they are four wins away from the title.

On the flipside, Indiana has also come a long way from being the perennial playoff team that could not go over the hump.

Before last season, the Pacers last made the conference finals back in the 2013-14 season, led by George.

Back in 2017, George was traded to OKC, but Victor Oladipo carried the team to the playoffs in the coming years, until they missed out on the playoffs from 2020-2023.

Last season, the Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton, made it all the way to the East Finals before falling to the Celtics.

This time around, the Pacers defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, then exposing the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, before a gritty six-game matchup with the New York Knicks.

Indiana, now, could win its first title in the NBA. They won three championships back in their time in the American Basketball Association.

“It’s the first time back in the Finals in 25 years for the Indiana Pacers. The first time back in the finals for OKC in 13 years. The thirst of those markets [is apparent],” Tatum said.

“You have two passionate fanbases, you have two young teams that are rising with great stars, you have the team with the best record in the league in Oklahoma City, and you have a team in Indiana that’s known for passing the ball and so many incredible assists,” he added.

“I think the fans are going to be treated to an incredible basketball series and I’m looking forward to it.”

-Seventh champion in as many years-

And now, with just four wins, a new champion will be crowned.

It will be the seventh champion in seven years — the first time in NBA history, Tatum said.

“I’m really encouraged about what we’re seeing here in terms of the level of competition and really the openness of the competition. Going into these playoffs you could have picked any number of teams that could have made it to this point, and I think that balanced competition is really, really good for fans around the world,” he said.

“You’re getting to see different players emerge. You’re getting to see different teams emerge, and it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of dynasties,” he added.

“When you look at the parity that exists in the league, again this is the seventh NBA champion in seven different seasons. That’s the first time that’s ever happened, and what we’re seeing is interest in the NBA has never been greater.”

The best-of-seven Finals series will tip off in OKC on Friday, 8:30 a.m.

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