The Thunder are favorites, but the Pacers have won as underdogs. The NBA Finals awaits
The NBA Finals tip off Thursday night at Paycom Center, the first game of what is expected to be a thrilling series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.
The Thunder enter as heavy favorites to take Game 1 on their home court — and, ultimately, the Larry O'Brien Trophy. After all, they finished with a league-best 68-14 record during the regular season and feature the newly crowned NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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But Indiana is no ordinary No. 4 seed and has already defied the odds twice this postseason. The Pacers knocked off a 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers team in five games in the second round and defeated the New York Knicks in six games to clinch the Eastern Conference championship. Oklahoma City, however, represents an entirely different challenge for the Pacers.
On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni were in Oklahoma City previewing Game 1 with Rylan Stiles, the host of the 'Locked On Thunder' podcast. They discussed how the city has rallied around this young Thunder squad, praised the job Sam Presti has done rebuilding the team in only two years, and explored how the Thunder's underdog mentality fuels their relentless style of play. They also touched on why small-market teams often forge deeper bonds with their fan bases more than franchises in major cities.
The trio then broke down the biggest defensive challenges for both teams: how Indiana plans to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, and how Oklahoma City will handle the Pacers' high-octane offense. Additionally, they debated whether either team will need to stray from its identity during the series.
Watch the full episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel, or via 'The Athletic NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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