OKLAHOMA CITY – The Indiana Pacers will begin the NBA Finals as underdogs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but after a full postseason in which they have been underestimated, they like that situation.
The Thunder are currently favored to win the Finals. In the last 20 years, only the 2018 Golden State Warriors started a Finals series with greater favoritism.I don’t think we expect anyone to pick us. It’s been that way throughout the playoffs. The whole season. Nothing changes for us. We just keep being ourselves, focusing on ourselves. It’s always been us against everyone.
Pascal Siakam, Pacers player
However, for Indiana, this is familiar territory. The Pacers were the underdog in every game of their second-round series against the Cavs, who won 64 games, and still advanced in five games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers leaned on the hype and media buzz generated by the New York Knicks to fuel their series victory.
Indiana players and coaches acknowledged that the Oklahoma City Thunder present an even more difficult task. After leading the NBA with 68 regular season wins, the Thunder have a 12-4 record in the Western Conference playoffs, led by the league’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.They are historically great on both sides of the court. They have the MVP. There are so many different things you could mention on the list of why they are so great at what they do, why they are a great team.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers star
Haliburton acknowledged that the Pacers wouldn’t trade him for anything.
You want to face the best team, the best challenge. This is the best challenge. This is the best team in the NBA. They have been the best team in the NBA all year. They are well-coached. They just do everything very well. There are no shortcuts to beat this team. We know the odds are against us. It is what it is. We want to be here. We want to play against the best. This is the best. We look forward to the challenge as a group.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers star
The Thunder have been one of the best teams in the NBA since they started the season with a 7-0 record and advanced to the NBA Cup final in December.
Meanwhile, the Pacers were 10-15 in mid-December, battling injuries and feeling the disappointment after a conference finals appearance the previous year.
Myles Turner, Pacers center, said Wednesday that the slow start ended up being one of the best things that happened to Indiana, because it made them handle adversity after what they thought was a successful end to the 2024 season. The Pacers have flourished since the beginning of this year; since January 1st, they and the Thunder have the two best records in the NBA. It’s the first time since 2015 that the two teams with the best winning percentage in the new year have reached the Finals.We are aware of what is expected here. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Many of our guys have been through many situations where they have been the underdogs in the past.
Rick Carlisle, Indiana coach
It will simply come down to us being able to play our game at the best possible level. We’ll have to take care of the ball because these guys force turnovers at a historic rate. And we’ll have to make some shots.
