The Indiana Pacers' Obi Toppin celebrated the rim in a game against the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoff Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis on Saturday. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 4-2 to advance to the NBA finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Closed subtitles
Oklahoma City Thunder fans have been waiting for the NBA championship since their team arrived in town in 2008. For the Indiana Pacers fans who joined the NBA in 1976, waiting for the championship lasted nearly 50 years.
Now, for a team, the drought is coming to an end. The Thunder and Pacers will meet in this year's NBA finals to have the chance to eventually bring the trophy home.
The team won the title with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979 before moving to Oklahoma City and rebranding the brand as the Thunder. Shortly after the team moved in 2008, the Thunder became a contender and reached the finals in 2012. However, this generation of teams cannot take advantage of the super high roster (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden), and the Thunder have been unable to return to the finals and have not returned to the finals until now, in the dispatch of Minnesota timernolves timbervilles timbervies timervies timervives timerves 4 Games 4 Games of 4 Games of 4 Games of 1.
The Pacers reached only once in 2000's team history, when they fell into the back-to-back Los Angeles Lakers Championship Game. Indiana won the exciting Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks in six games, winning the game Saturday night.
The first game of the seven-time finals will be withdrawn on Thursday, June 5.
The Thunder are one of the most important seasons in NBA history. Oklahoma City achieved its best record in the regular season with a 68-14 record, during which time they had more than 12.9 points per game - NBA Records.
Their success this year has earned their young core threesome, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wing Jalen Williams and 7-foot Chet Holmgren. Holmgren is 23, Williams is 24, and Gilgeous-Alexander is named a league MVP after leading the NBA in scoring this season, at just 26.
The Oklahoma City Thunders' success this year has achieved the strength of their young core trio Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right), Wing Jalen Williams and seven-foot Chet Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander was named a league MVP after leading the NBA in scoring this season, with only 26. William Purnell/Getty Images Closed subtitles
This dominance continued in the Western Conference Finals, with the Thunder sending the Minneapolis Timberwolves packs with 26, 15, 2 and 30 points.
On the other hand, the fourth-placed seed Pacers shocked the New York Knicks in a tense series, and in the final minutes any team could win every game (except that the Pacers won 125-108 wins 6 games).
Head coach Rick Carlisle said after Indiana’s win in Game 4: “Some of the shooting in this series is really incredible.
For Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton, these playoffs are an upcoming party. Just a month ago, a poll by anonymous players sports Named Haliburton is the "highest-rated player" in the league. In the Eastern Conference Finals, he shines.
Indiana and Oklahoma City are the two smallest media markets in the NBA. The Indianapolis metropolitan area has about 2.1 million people. Oklahoma City is smaller, with about 1.5 million people in the subway.
But the team’s success has made both cities excited, especially in Oklahoma, where the Thunder are the only major professional sports team in the entire state.
Whichever team wins, the finals will see the seventh different title over the past seven years, which shows a significant equality in the modern NBA.