Why we have Paul George to thank for the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals
Dive into the 2025 NBA Finals, and you'll see that Oklahoma City and Indiana have a lot in common: Both are led by dynamic point guards, both prefer an athletic and uptempo style, and both rely on pressure defense and steals to fuel easy transition points...
And both are in the NBA Finals thanks to Paul George.
Or, more specifically, what they got back when trading Paul George away. While George watches the NBA Finals from the same couch where he watched the entire playoffs (his 76ers didn't even make the play-in), here is how both of these teams used trading George away to set up the foundation of their Finals teams.
INDIANA PACERS
There was a time when Paul George seemed poised to become a Pacers icon. Drafted No. 10 by Indiana in 2010, he spent seven seasons with the team, being voted an All-Star four times and twice leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, as George was nearing the final year of his second contract, he informed the Pacers that he would not re-sign there, forcing the team to trade a fan favorite or risk losing him for nothing.
In the summer of 2017, the Pacers traded George to the Thunder for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo, a duo that started out solidly in Indiana, making the playoffs five straight seasons (although they were never a threat to contend). After that five-year run, things started to fall apart, and the Pacers missed the playoffs entirely in back-to-back years.
That's when Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard traded Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for a package where Tyrese Haliburton was the centerpiece coming back (the Kings were willing to move on from Haliburton because they thought De'Aaron Fox was their future and they wanted a center to pair with him — and the Sabonis/Fox pairing did give Kings fans their only trip to the postseason in the past 19 years).
Ultimately, it is the trade of George that brings Haliburton to Indiana, and with that the Pacers had the foundation needed to build an entertaining team that has returned the franchise to the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder
George didn't want to be traded from Indiana to OKC, it was no secret around the league that he wanted to end up in Los Angeles. However, after an All-Star season in Bricktown, George decided to re-sign with the Thunder. Even though a return home to Southern California was always at the top of his wish list.
A year later, in the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard was leaving Toronto (where he had just won a title) to go to the Los Angeles Clippers, but leveraged L.A. and told them to land him, they also had to get another star — Paul George. The Clippers talked to the Thunder and ultimately paid a steep price to get George:
• Shai Gilgeous Alexander
• Danilo Gallinari
• A 2021 first-round pick that became Tre Mann
• A 2022 first-round pick that became Jalen Williams
• A 2024 first-round pick that became Dillon Jones
• A 2025 first-round pick swap that has the Thunder picking 24th this season
Then Clippers coach Doc Rivers was quick to say — and continued to say — that he didn't really want to give up Gilgeous-Alexander, although even he didn't think SGA would evolve into an MVP-level player. For the Clippers, it was a trade that proved star players were willing to come to them, something that mattered in the Los Angeles market but didn't pan out on the court as they hoped.
For Oklahoma City, it ended up being a haul that may well win the Thunder a title with four more wins.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
26 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Led by historic Pacers' run, this is the NBA's Comeback Playoffs
Welcome to the Comeback Playoffs, led by the Indiana Pacers. Indiana's rally from 15 points down in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was the 10th such comeback — from 15 or more — in this season's playoffs. The Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton are responsible for five of those comebacks; the rest of the league, combined, have the other five. Since the NBA began keeping track of such things in 1997, there has never been a postseason with more 15-point comebacks or more by a single team than the Pacers have pulled off this spring. Dallas had four comebacks from 15 points or more in the 2003 playoffs, and as a whole, the league saw nine of these games in the 2021 playoffs. But never five by one team, or 10 in one postseason since these things began getting charted — until now. A breakdown of the moments: Game 1, NBA Finals: Pacers down 15 Indiana — which looked doomed by turnovers all night — trailed by 15 points with just under 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and took its only lead of the game on a jumper by Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds remaining to steal Game 1 of the finals over the Thunder. Final score: Indiana 111, Oklahoma City 110. Game 3, East finals: Knicks down 20 This time, the Pacers had it happen to them. Indiana led by 20 points with 3:20 left in the second quarter, only to get outscored 71-45 the rest of the way. Jalen Brunson's jumper with 1:17 left put New York up for good and the Knicks prevailed, 106-100. Game 1, East finals: Pacers down 17 This game felt very over, especially when Karl-Anthony Towns made a 3-pointer for a 17-point New York lead with 6:26 left. Ha. The Pacers were still down 14 with 2:40 remaining, went on an incredible 20-6 run to tie the game — Haliburton's jumper hit the back of the rim, went about 17 feet in the air, and bounced in to force overtime — and the Pacers won 138-135. [Related: Pacers stun Knicks with historic comeback: 'Second-worst loss of my life] Game 5, East semifinals: Pacers down 19 Indiana closed out the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of this series, rallying from a 19-point hole that had been dug early in the second quarter. The Pacers got within four by halftime, took the lead midway through the third and kept it the rest of the way in what became a 114-105 win. Game 2, East semifinals: Knicks down 20 This game on May 7 marked the third consecutive day that a road team in the East semifinals erased what was exactly a 20-point deficit. Boston led 73-53 late in the third quarter, and New York outscored the Celtics 38-17 in the final 14 minutes. Brunson gave the Knicks their last lead on two free throws with 12.7 seconds left and New York escaped, 91-90. [Related: Tyrese Haliburton is on historic clutch streak; here are his best moments] Game 2, East semifinals: Pacers down 20 Max Strus' dunk with 6:51 left in the third quarter put Cleveland up 81-61. and the Cavaliers kept their double-digit lead into the fourth quarter. Cleveland was up 119-112 with 48 seconds left; Indiana scored the final eight points and Haliburton's 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining sealed a 120-119 stunner of a win. Game 1, East semifinals: Knicks down 20 Again, Boston led by 20 midway through the third quarter. The Knicks were undeterred. Brunson's 3-pointer with 4:07 left put New York on top, the start of what became a back-and-forth finish until OG Anunoby's dunk with 3:25 left in overtime put the Knicks up for good. Final score: Knicks 108, Celtics 105. Game 5, East quarterfinals: Pacers down 20 Milwaukee, playing to keep its season alive and without injured guard Damian Lillard (torn Achilles), roared out to a 33-13 lead early in the second quarter. Indiana kept chipping away, and a great back-and-forth battle after halftime was sealed when Haliburton made a layup with 1.4 seconds left for a 119-118 series-clinching win. Game 3, West quarterfinals: Thunder down 29 The biggest comeback of these playoffs still belongs to Oklahoma City, which was down 69-40 in Memphis in Game 3 of those teams' Western Conference first-round series. But Ja Morant got hurt and left the game, and without their guard the Grizzlies couldn't hold the lead. Oklahoma City outscored Memphis by 35 in the game's final 27 minutes to win 114-108. Game 1, West quarterfinals: Nuggets down 15 Little did we know that this game on Day 1 of the playoffs, April 19, was a harbinger of what awaited the rest of the way. Denver trailed the L.A. Clippers 51-36 midway through the second quarter, but recovered for a 112-110 win behind 29 points from Nikola Jokic. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Basketball Association Indiana Pacers recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Fever vs. Sky odds, tips and betting trends - 6/7/2025
Fever vs. Sky odds, tips and betting trends - 6/7/2025 Kelsey Mitchell takes the Indiana Fever (3-4) into a matchup against the Chicago Sky (2-4) after scoring 24 points in an 85-76 victory over the Mystics. It's on Saturday, June 7, 2025, starting at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Indiana won at home over Washington, 85-76, in its last game. Its top scorers were Mitchell (24 PTS, 2 STL, 50.0 FG%, 4-7 from 3PT) and Lexie Hull (14 PTS, 66.7 FG%, 2-4 from 3PT). In its previous game, Chicago was a winner on the road over Dallas 94-83, with Ariel Atkins (26 PTS, 4 STL, 57.1 FG%, 4-8 from 3PT) and Courtney Vandersloot (15 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 38.5 FG%) leading the way. Ahead of this matchup, here's what you need to get ready for Saturday's action. Watch this game on Paramount+! Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky odds and betting lines WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 2:05 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Spread: Fever (-4.5) Fever (-4.5) Over/under: 168.5 168.5 Favorite: Fever (-220, bet $220 to win $100) Fever (-220, bet $220 to win $100) Underdog: Sky (+180, bet $100 to win $180) Fever moneyline insights The Fever have gone 3-3 in games they were listed as the moneyline favorite (winning 50% of those games). Indiana has a 2-2 record (winning 50% of its games) as a moneyline favorite of -220 or shorter. The Fever have an implied moneyline win probability of 68.8% in this game. In two games this season, Indiana and its opponents have combined to score more than 168.5 points. The average total in Fever outings this year is 167.4, 1.1 fewer points than this game's over/under. Sky moneyline insights This season, the Sky have won two out of the six games in which they've been the underdog. Chicago has been at least a +180 moneyline underdog three times this season, but was upset in each of those games. The Sky have a 35.7% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline. The Sky have played five games this season that ended with a combined score higher than 168.5 points. The average total for Chicago's games this season is 166.8 points, 1.7 fewer points than this game's over/under. Fever vs. Sky: Game time and info Game day: Saturday, June 7, 2025 Saturday, June 7, 2025 Game time: 8 p.m. ET 8 p.m. ET Stadium: Wintrust Arena Wintrust Arena TV channel: CBS CBS Live Stream: Paramount+ Watch this game on Paramount+!
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Steve Nash breaks down the Thunder's principles that make them an elite defensive team: "They keep that paint area a no-go zone"
Steve Nash breaks down the Thunder's principles that make them an elite defensive team: "They keep that paint area a no-go zone" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Steve Nash did not have a reputation as a good defender, but he knows an elite defense when he sees one. In the latest episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast, the two-time MVP raved about the Oklahoma City Thunder's defensive philosophies and explained how these fundamental principles make the court a living hell for their opponents. Advertisement "They're a 'pack the paint' team; they want to keep you out of the paint," Nash said. "So, for the fan, if a guy drives from the wing middle, typically in our league, we wanna show body and stunt because we don't wanna give up a three or create a rotation. OKC, they will show full-body help to keep it out of the paint, especially for the primary initiator. They give a full-body rotation, which leaves weakness on the back side. So, the guy from the corner… who's an athlete, flies to the corner." "I think what they do is pack the paint, they give up threes, but they give up contested threes. Hard contests, flying at guys. It gets dark; you think you're wide open, before you know it, it's like, 'Ah!'" the Hall of Famer added. AC embodies that philosophy As "MVSteve" mentioned, these principles work for the Thunder because of their personnel. They could employ multiple 3-and-D guys at once, and they all buy into the team's defensive philosophy. Nobody personifies the Thunder mantra as well as Alex Caruso, as LeBron James could attest. Advertisement "One of my favorite plays from their clincher (in the Western Conference Finals), AC was guarding the ball on the left wing… Anthony Edwards was able to get middle… but AC, he went middle, and there was a guy that helped at the nail. Full body help at the nail and made Anthony Edwards get off it. He hit the guy on the wing, and there was a defender on the corner, and he rotated all the way to take away that shot on the wing," James recalled. The nail is literally the spot in the middle of the free-throw line. OKC usually has a guy posted there to prevent drives to the paint, and in this scenario, another Thunder defender was helping Caruso in his "Ant-Man" assignment. As James remembered, another OKC defender came flying at the open guy on the wing, which prompted an immediate reaction from the "Bald Mamba." "Instead of AC just standing and watching, he ran through to the corner. Julius Randle actually made this three, but the percentages when it comes to this effort, they're gonna win that percentage," stated "The Chosen One." Related: "Shaq, I'm from the Balkans, you cannot haze me so hard, I've seen everything" - Goran Dragic recalls how he survived Shaquille O'Neal's rookie treatment "No-go zone" From Nash and James' viewpoints, OKC's defensive philosophy and their personnel's commitment to bringing this to life took them this far, with a chance to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. Again, there are nuances in play, but it's fundamental basketball that fans should enjoy watching. Advertisement "For the fan to recognize, they're gonna keep you out of the paint. They're gonna allow you to take threes, but they're gonna fly out and be on a string and contest those threes. I love that principle… they keep that paint area a no-go zone. To me, that's a commitment, that's a clarity," said one of the best pure point guards ever. The exciting thing about the 2025 NBA Finals is that the Indiana Pacers are not a team that lives in the paint. They move the rock around and play the closeout game extremely well. As many NBA experts have noticed, their ball movement could theoretically test the Thunder's defensive commitment. Whether that movement leads to breakdowns or just more contested jumpers will be a chess match to watch. Related: "It would put him in the conversation of top-five point guards of all-time" - Ric Bucher on what if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins 2025 Finals MVP This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
