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鈥檚 MVP and Oklahoma City鈥檚 best player. Haliburton is an Olympic gold medalist and Indiana鈥檚 best player. They鈥檒l lead their teams into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night 鈥� Indiana at Oklahoma City, the start of a series that will decide who hoists the Larry O鈥橞rien Trophy.
鈥淢an, I鈥檓 just so proud of this group,鈥� 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. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even have words right now. It鈥檚 really exciting. We鈥檒l enjoy this one for now. There鈥檚 four more, there鈥檚 a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.鈥�
The Thunder 鈥� depending on how you count 鈥� 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 鈥� 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.
鈥淲hen you win, that鈥檚 a special thing,鈥� Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not guaranteed in this league. If everybody was guaranteed to win, it鈥檇 be a participation trophy instead of a Larry O鈥橞rien. So, you have to kind of take it in and understand what you鈥檝e 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鈥檚 where we鈥檙e at.鈥�
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 鈥� 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.
鈥淚n 49 states, it's just basketball,鈥� Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 鈥淏ut this is Indiana. ... Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.鈥�
Oklahoma City swept the season series with Indiana 2-0, part of a regular season where the Thunder 鈥� who finished with the NBA's best record 鈥� 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 鈥� 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 鈥� starting at OKC on Thursday.
鈥淥bviously, he wasn鈥檛 here long but he had great years here,鈥� Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday when asked about George's impact. 鈥淚 mean, one of the best years of his career was here, one of the best individual seasons a player's had here 鈥� which is saying something here with the guys they鈥檝e had. So, I have a lot of respect for him.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
