How the Thunder and Pacers outfoxed big-market super teams to reach NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — The latest and loudest sign that this year's NBA Finals matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers is an anomaly came Tuesday, when a tornado warning was issued in parts of Oklahoma as a massive thunderstorm moved across the state. The Pacers' flight to Oklahoma City was diverted to Tulsa as a precaution, several out-of-market media members dealt with major delays, and NBA employees huddled in the basement of a downtown hotel as sirens blared outside. For many locals, this was just another day during a busy storm season. For uninitiated outsiders, the dark clouds, pouring rain, lightning strikes and flood warnings were disorienting and unnerving.
So began these upside-down Finals, which open with Game 1 on Thursday night and stand in direct opposition to the NBA's long-standing conventional wisdom that the most famous and influential players shape the championship landscape by assembling super teams in glamorous coastal cities. This year, two small-market teams from the middle of the country have written impressive turnaround stories built on savvy trades and deep rosters rather than free agency power plays and overwhelming star power.
By Wednesday, the bad weather had passed, allowing the conference champions to safely assemble at Paycom Center. While Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, an electric two-time all-star, are worthy headliners, the Thunder and Pacers aren't exactly overflowing with household names. This matchup is almost the exact opposite of then-NBA commissioner David Stern's famous quip that his dream Finals would pit the Los Angeles Lakers against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Adam Silver, Stern's successor, has spent years preaching the virtues of 'parity of opportunity' and, at the behest of NBA owners, reshaping the league's salary cap rules to create a more level playing field for all 30 teams. The structural changes, which have included harsh luxury tax penalties and roster-building restrictions for the biggest spenders, have given new hope to teams such as the Thunder and Pacers, who have long struggled to land high-profile free agents. After LeBron James and Kevin Durant dominated the 2010s with their free agency decisions and star-laden powerhouses, the NBA is set to crown its seventh different champion in as many seasons.
'It's a new blueprint for the league,' Pacers center Myles Turner said. 'The years of the super teams and stacking [talent] is not as effective as it once was. ... The new trend now is what we're doing. OKC does the same thing. The young guys get out and run, defend and use the power of friendship.'
The Thunder and Pacers can trace the roots of their success to a critical moment in NBA history: Durant's decision to leave Oklahoma City to join Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors in 2016. The Thunder, which was rocked by its franchise player's departure, learned the painful lesson that it was better to trade a disgruntled star and get something in return rather than watch him leave for nothing in free agency. The Pacers felt the downstream effect of Durant's decision when all-star forward Paul George pushed his way out of Indiana to Oklahoma City in a 2017 trade.
George didn't remain as Durant's replacement in Oklahoma City for long. During the summer of 2019, the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Clippers concocted an all-in plan to pair George with Kawhi Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti acquiesced, landing Gilgeous-Alexander — then coming off his rookie season — and a boatload of draft picks for George. Later that summer, Presti shipped Russell Westbrook, the 2017 MVP and a fan favorite, to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and another pile of draft assets.
By proactively moving George and Westbrook, Presti set the stage for a rebuilding cycle and added a veteran mentor in Paul, rather than risk distracting rumors about the uncertain futures of his stars. Though it took years for Presti's vision to come together, Gilgeous-Alexander eventually blossomed into a franchise guard, and Jalen Williams arrived in 2022 thanks to one of the first-round picks acquired from the Clippers. Williams, a 23-year-old forward, has emerged as Gilgeous-Alexander's co-star and earned his first all-star selection this season.
'When I [was drafted], there was a ton of people outside the hotel waiting to see us and congratulate us,' Williams said. 'I always compare us to a small local high school football team being really good and the city around them kind of gathers around them. Everywhere we go, I've been met with love since I've been out here.'
The Thunder, which won just 24 games in 2021-22, has filled out Gilgeous-Alexander's supporting cast by drafting center Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 pick in 2022, trading for guard Alex Caruso last summer and then making use of its salary cap flexibility to sign center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Rather than assemble an expensive 'Big Three' of prime-age stars on maximum contracts — as the Miami Heat did with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the early 2010s — the Thunder is under the NBA's luxury tax line of $170.8 million despite having a young and balanced roster that won 68 games and had the league's No. 1 defense this season.
'Those early [rebuilding] years were challenging,' Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault said. 'How it felt every day was not a reflection of our record or where our standing was in the league. You could feel that some of the seeds we were planting were going to be flowering at some point. We were confident, even back then, that we were building something special and something that had the ability to sustain.'
The Pacers spun their wheels in the immediate aftermath of George's 2017 departure, but they smartly flipped Domantas Sabonis, one of the pieces they got back from the Thunder, to the Sacramento Kings for Haliburton in 2022. When Indiana acquired Haliburton, less than two years after he was a 2020 lottery pick, Pacers President Kevin Pritchard hailed the young guard as the franchise's answer to Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts' Hall of Fame quarterback. The fan base needed a jolt of hope given that Indiana finished the 2021-22 season with 25 wins.
Haliburton, like Gilgeous-Alexander, instantly gave his team an identity: The Pacers became a fast-and-loose offensive juggernaut, while the Thunder came to reflect Gilgeous-Alexander's consistency and craftsmanship. Pritchard then set about finding players who would thrive in an up-tempo style, adding forwards Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin in trades and selecting guard Andrew Nembhard in the 2022 draft.
'[Presti] and Kevin Pritchard are two of the best franchise builders around,' Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said. 'I understand that there would be concern for how many people would watch because they're smaller markets, but if we're celebrating the game, it really shouldn't matter.'
The Pacers put themselves in position to be contenders by landing Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in a January 2024 trade. At the time, he was heading for free agency and was viewed as a second-tier star. Indiana bet correctly that his athleticism and experience would be a good fit alongside Haliburton, and Pritchard's careful management of the salary cap made it possible to grant Siakam a four-year, $189.5 million contract last summer without breaking the bank. In fact, the Pacers, like the Thunder, slid under the luxury tax line even though they possessed a solid rotation that featured 10 players who each logged at least 1,000 minutes.
Indiana was hampered by early-season injuries, but it still finished with 50 wins and top-10 rankings in offensive efficiency and pace. During the playoffs, the Pacers have gone 12-4 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks while ranking second in offensive efficiency and third in pace.
'I don't need the glitz and glamour of a large city,' Haliburton said. 'I really like the small-town feel from our fans. I think [Oklahoma City] can relate to that. … [The Pacers] took a chance on me. Sometimes I think they saw more in me than I saw in myself. When we brought [Siakam] here, we envisioned doing something special. He's been like a big brother for me. He's somebody who can always keep me steady. [Going to the Finals] is what we got together to do.'
With James, Curry and Durant entering the twilight of their careers, the Thunder and Pacers have moved to center stage thanks to a pair of fortunate trades for their stars and a philosophy of collecting as many good and affordable players as possible to withstand the physical grind of a fast-paced era. Oklahoma City and Indiana avoided the pitfalls faced by Durant's Phoenix Suns, Giannis Antetokounmpo's Bucks and Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers: They prioritized depth over top-end star power, so they aren't one injury away from calamity.
The big-market behemoths will surely fight back. The Lakers landed Luka Doncic in a February blockbuster, and Antetokounmpo could alter the league's landscape again if the Bucks trade him this summer.
For now, the Thunder and Pacers will savor their title shots despite the stormy start to Finals week: Oklahoma City hasn't won a championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008, and Indiana has never won it all since joining the NBA from the rival American Basketball Association in 1976. Given how far they have come since Durant's fateful decision in 2016, the Thunder and Pacers are well equipped to handle the elements.
'To win a title on top of everything that happened this year would be special,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I've been so focused on Game 1. Trying to be the best version of myself for this group and trying to make sure that we're clicking on all cylinders on the biggest stage of our careers has been on the forefront of my mind.'
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