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News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
2025 NBA Finals An Unforeseen Clash Of Rising Superstars: Analyzing OKC Thunder And Indiana Pacers
Last Updated: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton lead Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers into a historic NBA Finals matchup starting June 6. An unlikely NBA Finals matchup between two rivals who have never been to the promised land. But, in hindsight, it seems like the seeds for the same were planted almost a decade ago. Back in 2017 — when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was preparing for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin — the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder, acquiring Domantas Sabonis in return. In 2019, the Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. Later, in 2022, the Pacers traded Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for a package that included Haliburton. Here we are now. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player, while Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They will lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night—Indiana at Oklahoma City—in a series that will determine who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. advetisement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's OKC So Far Depending on how you count, the Thunder are in the finals for either the second time or the fifth time. The franchise, when it was in Seattle, lost the NBA World Championship Series to Washington in 1978, won the title in a rematch against the then-Bullets in 1979, and lost in the NBA Finals to Chicago in 1996. Oklahoma City, bolstered by the holy trinity of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, reached the finals in 2012, only to lose to a spirited LeBron James-led Miami Heat. This season, the Thunder are 80-18, following a 68-14 regular season and a 12-4 playoff run, sweeping Memphis in Round 1, surviving seven games against Denver in Round 2, and defeating Minnesota in five games for the Western Conference title. Tyrese Haliburton and The Indiana Pacers So Far Indiana is in the NBA Finals for the second time, having lost to the Shaq-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. This year, they emerged from the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, defeating Milwaukee in five games in Round 1, top-seeded Cleveland in five games in Round 2, and New York in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games of the season, then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and win a conference title, joining Seattle in 1977-78 (8-17), the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15), and the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15). None of those teams went on to win the NBA title. The Rivalry So Far This Season Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder, who finished with the NBA's best record, went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference. This does not include a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final, a game that didn't count in any standings. Advertisement So, the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals, albeit without Paul George, who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in the MVP voting for 2018-19, starting at OKC on Thursday. top videos View All (with agency inputs) About the Author Siddarth Sriram Watch CNN-News18 here. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : NBA NBA Finals Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 01, 2025, 18:18 IST News sports 2025 NBA Finals An Unforeseen Clash Of Rising Superstars: Analyzing OKC Thunder And Indiana Pacers
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
NBA Finals are set: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers, starting Thursday night
The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, back when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin. That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers landed Domantas Sabonis in that deal. The Thunder would trade George in 2019 to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers would trade Sabonis in 2022 to the Sacramento Kings for a package that included Haliburton. And here we are. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They'll lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 'Man, I'm just so proud of this group,' Haliburton said in the on-court televised interview with TNT after the Pacers' 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 'I don't even have words right now. It's really exciting. We'll enjoy this one for now. There's four more, there's a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.' The Thunder — depending on how you count — are in the finals for either the second or fifth time. The franchise, when it was the Seattle SuperSonics, lost what was then called the NBA World Championship Series to the Washington Bullets in 1978, won the title in a rematch in 1979 and lost to the Chicago Bulls in 1996. Oklahoma City got to the finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat. The Thunder went 68-14 in the regular season and are 12-4 in the playoffs — sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1, surviving seven games against the Denver Nuggets in Round 2 and then ousting the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games for the Western Conference title. 'When you win, that's a special thing,' Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 'It's not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it'd be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O'Brien. 'So you have to kind of take it in and understand what you've accomplished to that point, but then the next day you have to start turning the page, get rid of the emotions and start focusing on preparation and what you have to do to conquer the next step. And that's where we're at.' Indiana is in the finals for the second time, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Pacers won ABA titles in 1970, '72 and '73. They got out of the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in Round 1, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in Round 2 and the Knicks in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games this season — then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and go on to win a conference title, joining the 1977-78 SuperSonics (8-17), the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15) and the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15). None of those teams won the NBA title. 'In 49 states, it's just basketball,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'But this is Indiana. … Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.' Oklahoma City swept the season series 2-0, part of a regular season in which the Thunder — who finished with the NBA's best record — went 29-1 against the East. That doesn't include a loss to the Bucks in the NBA Cup final that didn't count in the standings. So the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals — albeit without George, who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in MVP voting for 2018-19. 'Obviously he wasn't here long, but he had great years here,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. 'I mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here — which is saying something here with the guys they've had. So I have a lot of respect for him.'
4 days ago
- Sport
The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night
The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, back when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin. That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers landed Domantas Sabonis out of that deal. The Thunder would trade George in 2019 to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers would trade Sabonis in 2022 to Sacramento for a package that included Haliburton. And here we are. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They'll lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night — Indiana at Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 'Man, I'm just so proud of this group,' Haliburton said in the on-court televised interview with TNT after the Pacers' 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 'I don't even have words right now. It's really exciting. We'll enjoy this one for now. There's four more, there's a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.' The Thunder — depending on how you count — are in the finals for either the second time or the fifth time. The franchise, when it was in Seattle, lost what was then called the NBA World Championship Series to Washington in 1978, then won the title in a rematch against the then-Bullets in 1979 and lost in the NBA Finals to Chicago in 1996. Oklahoma City got to the finals in 2012, losing to Miami. The Thunder are 80-18 this season, after going 68-14 in the regular season and then 12-4 in the playoffs — sweeping Memphis in Round 1, surviving seven games against Denver in Round 2 and then ousting Minnesota in five games for the Western Conference title. 'When you win, that's a special thing,' Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 'It's not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it'd be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O'Brien. So, you have to kind of take it in and understand what you've accomplished to that point, but then the next day you have to start turning the page, get rid of the emotions and start focusing on preparation and what you have to do to conquer the next step. And that's where we're at.' Indiana is in the NBA title round for the second time, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Pacers franchise won ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973. They got out of the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, beating Milwaukee in five games in Round 1, beating top-seeded Cleveland in five games in Round 2 and then beating New York in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games of the season — then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and go on to win a conference title, joining Seattle in 1977-78 (8-17), the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15) and the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15). None of those teams went on to win the NBA title. 'In 49 states, it's just basketball,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'But this is Indiana. ... Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.' Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder — who finished with the NBA's best record — went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference. That doesn't include a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final, a game that didn't count in any standings. So, the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals, albeit without Paul George — who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in the MVP voting for 2018-19 — starting at OKC on Thursday. 'Obviously, he wasn't here long but he had great years here,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. 'I mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here — which is saying something here with the guys they've had. So, I have a lot of respect for him.'
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night
The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, back when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin. That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers landed Domantas Sabonis out of that deal. The Thunder would trade George in 2019 to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers would trade Sabonis in 2022 to Sacramento for a package that included Haliburton. And here we are. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They'll lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night — Indiana at Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 'Man, I'm just so proud of this group,' Haliburton said in the on-court televised interview with TNT after the Pacers' 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 'I don't even have words right now. It's really exciting. We'll enjoy this one for now. There's four more, there's a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.' The Thunder — depending on how you count — are in the finals for either the second time or the fifth time. The franchise, when it was in Seattle, lost what was then called the NBA World Championship Series to Washington in 1978, then won the title in a rematch against the then-Bullets in 1979 and lost in the NBA Finals to Chicago in 1996. Oklahoma City got to the finals in 2012, losing to Miami. The Thunder are 80-18 this season, after going 68-14 in the regular season and then 12-4 in the playoffs — sweeping Memphis in Round 1, surviving seven games against Denver in Round 2 and then ousting Minnesota in five games for the Western Conference title. 'When you win, that's a special thing,' Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 'It's not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it'd be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O'Brien. So, you have to kind of take it in and understand what you've accomplished to that point, but then the next day you have to start turning the page, get rid of the emotions and start focusing on preparation and what you have to do to conquer the next step. And that's where we're at.' Indiana is in the NBA title round for the second time, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Pacers franchise won ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973. They got out of the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, beating Milwaukee in five games in Round 1, beating top-seeded Cleveland in five games in Round 2 and then beating New York in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games of the season — then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and go on to win a conference title, joining Seattle in 1977-78 (8-17), the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15) and the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15). None of those teams went on to win the NBA title. 'In 49 states, it's just basketball,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'But this is Indiana. ... Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.' Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder — who finished with the NBA's best record — went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference. That doesn't include a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final, a game that didn't count in any standings. So, the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals, albeit without Paul George — who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in the MVP voting for 2018-19 — starting at OKC on Thursday. 'Obviously, he wasn't here long but he had great years here,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. 'I mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here — which is saying something here with the guys they've had. So, I have a lot of respect for him.' ___ AP NBA:
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
The NBA Finals are set: It'll be Thunder vs. Pacers, starting Thursday night
Associated Press The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, back when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school in Wisconsin. That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers landed Domantas Sabonis out of that deal. The Thunder would trade George in 2019 to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers would trade Sabonis in 2022 to Sacramento for a package that included Haliburton. And here we are. Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's MVP and Oklahoma City's best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana's best player. They'll lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night — Indiana at Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 'Man, I'm just so proud of this group,' Haliburton said in the on-court televised interview with TNT after the Pacers' 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 'I don't even have words right now. It's really exciting. We'll enjoy this one for now. There's four more, there's a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.' The Thunder — depending on how you count — are in the finals for either the second time or the fifth time. The franchise, when it was in Seattle, lost what was then called the NBA World Championship Series to Washington in 1978, then won the title in a rematch against the then-Bullets in 1979 and lost in the NBA Finals to Chicago in 1996. Oklahoma City got to the finals in 2012, losing to Miami. The Thunder are 80-18 this season, after going 68-14 in the regular season and then 12-4 in the playoffs — sweeping Memphis in Round 1, surviving seven games against Denver in Round 2 and then ousting Minnesota in five games for the Western Conference title. 'When you win, that's a special thing,' Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 'It's not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it'd be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O'Brien. So, you have to kind of take it in and understand what you've accomplished to that point, but then the next day you have to start turning the page, get rid of the emotions and start focusing on preparation and what you have to do to conquer the next step. And that's where we're at.' Indiana is in the NBA title round for the second time, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Pacers franchise won ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973. They got out of the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, beating Milwaukee in five games in Round 1, beating top-seeded Cleveland in five games in Round 2 and then beating New York in the conference finals. The Pacers were 10-15 through the first 25 games of the season — then went 40-17 to finish the regular season. They are the fourth team to start 10-15 or worse and go on to win a conference title, joining Seattle in 1977-78 (8-17), the 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (10-15) and the 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers (10-15). None of those teams went on to win the NBA title. 'In 49 states, it's just basketball,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'But this is Indiana. ... Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.' Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder — who finished with the NBA's best record — went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference. That doesn't include a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final, a game that didn't count in any standings. So, the matchup is set. It's the Paul George finals, albeit without Paul George — who had arguably the best season of his career with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and finishing third in the MVP voting for 2018-19 — starting at OKC on Thursday. 'Obviously, he wasn't here long but he had great years here,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. 'I mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here — which is saying something here with the guys they've had. So, I have a lot of respect for him.' ___ AP NBA: recommended
