This is a true Goliath vs. David series, or maybe a more appropriate description for the Pacers is Hoosiers. Much like tiny Hickory High School depicted in the Gene Hackman movie that slayed all the giants to win the Indiana state championship decades ago, the Pacers need to reassure themselves that the height of the rims are the same in the NBA Finals. It’s a “magical ride” as described by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
But will this 2025 drama have the same stirring ending? Indiana, which lost twice to Oklahoma City during the regular season, will need to play a near-perfect series to have a shot. And perhaps the Pacers will deliver in such a way. Maybe Tyrese Haliburton and his ability to be clutch helps him becomes 2011 Dirk Nowitzki, who surprisingly mowed down the Miami Big 3 Heat (and was coached by Carlisle).
Oh, by the way: Forget the small-market conversation that’s sure to follow this series. It’s not about market size — who cares. Hardcore fans will tune in regardless. It’s about players meeting the challenge to get casuals to watch and make for a compelling series.
What say you, Pacers?
Series schedule
Here’s how to watch the Thunder vs. Pacers series:
All times Eastern Standard Time
• Game 1: Pacers at Thunder (Thu. June 5, 8:30, ABC)
• Game 2: Pacers at Thunder (Sun. June 8, 8, ABC)
• Game 3: Thunder at Pacers (Wed. June 11, 8:30, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder at Pacers (Fri. June 13, 8:30, ABC)
• Game 5: Pacers at Thunder (Mon. June 16, 8:30, ABC) *
• Game 6: Thunder at Pacers (Thu. June 19, 8:30, ABC) *
• Game 7: Pacers at Thunder (Sun, June 22, 8 on ABC) *
* = if necessary
Top storyline
Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Elite defense vs. explosive offense. This series presents a chance to witness what the Thunder’s relentless defense can do against the Pacers’ efficient offense. When the ball is on that side of the court, the outcome of games may rest on which top-rated unit gets the better of the other.
The Thunder were tremendous defensively against the Timberwolves, and actually through much of the playoffs. OKC brings two members of the league’s All-Defensive team — Lu Dort (first team) and Jalen Williams (second) — and so much more. That’s because through a generous portion of certain playoff games, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso were OKC’s better ball-stoppers.
With the Pacers, it’s all about Haliburton and whether he can create ample scoring chances for his teammates. He’s a throwback in this sense — a pass-first point guard who can spot teammates for easy baskets, leads the break and keeps the defense guessing. You don’t see many like him in today’s game.
Keep your eyes on
The big men matchup. This is seemingly in Oklahoma City’s favor because of rebounding. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are both capable of snatching double-digit boards. Meanwhile, Myles Turner is meek on the glass and Indiana lacks a beastly backup, so the blue-collar workload falls on Pascal Siakam, who leads the Pacers in rebounds during the postseason at a very average 5.8 per game.
If the Pacers manage to match OKC’s elbow grease with a collective effort, then that’s a big victory for Indy. Which won’t be easy. Holmgren is growing up fast in the postseason and I-Hart was brought to OKC specifically to be a difference-maker in the paint — so far, so good on that goal.
1 more thing to watch for each team
OKC GM Sam Presti has amassed a roster full of young players who put team success over individual accomplishments.
For Thunder. Will their depth once again give them an edge? In every playoff series to this point, OKC won that battle. The Thunder wore down the Nuggets who eventually were doomed by injuries, then ambushed the Timberwolves.
It’s soul-crushing for opposing teams when they see Caruso and Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace check in and immediately produce. OKC isn’t afraid to go eight, nine deep. When the bench produces there’s not so much pressure on the starters to be stars.
Pascal Siakam reacts after receiving the Larry Bird Trophy as the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player.
For Pacers. Siakam captured the Eastern Conference finals MVP over Haliburton, which might’ve caught a few folks by surprise. But Siakam was solid against the Knicks and very productive since he arrived in a trade from Toronto.
Of course, he won a championship there in 2019, so in this situation, he’s not scared. For the Pacers to insert drama in this series, he’ll need to duplicate that at the very least. And that will require A-game efforts against Williams and a team that managed to survive LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards.
So good luck to Siakam.
1 key number to know
8.5 – The Pacers have outscored their playoff opponents by 8.5 points per game in transition, according to Synergy tracking. That’s the best differential in these playoffs, and it includes a tally of 46-18 in transition in their Game 6 victory over the Knicks on Saturday.
The second best differential belongs to the Thunder, who’ve outscored their opponents by 8.1 points per game in transition.
The Pacers obviously love to run, and they’re led by Tyrese Haliburton, who led the league with 9.2 pass-ahead passes per game, according to Second Spectrum tracking. The Thunder, meanwhile, run off off turnovers, and they’ve led both the regular season (16.9) and playoffs (17.7) in opponent turnovers per 100 possessions.
But you don’t get differentials like that without also being good in transition defense. The Thunder lead the playoffs in the lowest percentage of their opponents possessions (13.6%) that have been in transition, while the Pacers have allowed the fewest points per possession (0.96) in transition, according to Synergy.
The primary battle in this series could be in the first five or six seconds of the shot clock.
— John Schuhmann
The pick
Oklahoma City carries the distinction of dominating the NBA all season and through much of the playoffs. Start with 68 wins, a record point differential, epic defense and XXL-depth. Will that suddenly vaporize here at the finish line, against a team that finished 14 games behind the top seed in the East? That seems unlikely. A more reasonable scenario has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adding a championship trophy to his ample number of achievements this season. Give Haliburton a game, give OKC the ring. Thunder in 5.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
