NBA Finals: Pacers look to upset powerhouse Thunder

The best basketball league in the world will have a new champion. After a long regular season, along with the Playoffs that lasted about a month and a half, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will battle to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy, currently held by the Boston Celtics, in the NBA Finals.

As it turns out, the two teams have never won an NBA title. The Pacers, who come in after putting in a memorable as well as surprising performance on the East side of the bracket, arrive to the NBA Finals as the surprise of the Playoffs, while the Thunder, who it is undeniable to say have been the best team this season, open as heavy favorites. This Thursday, a series begins that promises spectacle and fun.

The Pacers' journey to the NBA Finals

This season, they were looking for revenge. And so far, nothing can be held against them. Last season, the Pacers were on the verge of the NBA Finals, but the Boston Celtics overwhelmed them, just as they did with the rest of their rivals. They were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, with the same dream intact, they fought and kept the hope of winning their first NBA title alive.

In the regular season, they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses. They turned their stadium, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, into a fortress. On the road they were less stable, although they were able to stay afloat.

The Playoffs arrived and they took a step forward. From the start of the first round, the Pacers had to face opponents who were ahead of them in the imaginary list of favorites to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy. First they came up against the Milwaukee Bucks, winning the series 4-1 against the team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Then came the Cleveland Cavaliers, the best team to that point in the East. Before the series began, it seemed that the Pacers' Playoff journey was going to end, knowing the disparity in regular season performance. However, they not only defeated them; they beat them 4-1 overall, which earned them the praise of the basketball world.

They appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals, where the New York Knicks awaited them. It was seen as an evenly matched series. The Pacers were undefeated in the first two games, held on the Knicks' home floor. The series advanced to a sixth game, played in Indianapolis, with which they ended up closing out the series 4-2 and became the champions of the Eastern Conference.

In the Playoffs, the Pacers have a record of 12 wins and 3 losses. Historically, they have only played in one NBA Finals: in 2000 they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Thunder's path to the NBA Finals

It has been 13 years since the Thunder last reached the NBA Finals, the only time they did so under their current name. And, this year, not only are they there, but they are also opening as favorites. But it has taken seasons for them to regain the status of one of the league's great teams. Last year, they showed marked improvement, but lost in the Western Conference semifinals 4-2 to the Dallas Mavericks, who would end up losing in the Finals.

The Thunder's regular season was stratospheric. They were the best team in the league by a wide margin. They finished in first place in the Western Conference, with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses. There was no rival that could stop them. This could be seen both at home, the Paycom Center, and on the road.

In the beginning of the Playoffs, it was more of the same. Their first opponent was the Memphis Grizzlies, who could not do anything to shake the Thunder's foundations. Oklahoma City advanced from the round thanks to a 4-0 overall record against Memphis.

The most tense moment they have had all season was against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, were able to send the series to a Game 7, putting the Thunder in serious trouble, but Oklahoma City ended up taking the series with a memorable performance in the final matchup to close it out 4-3.

After that highly contested series against the Nuggets, it was time to face the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Thunder recovered their best form. Oklahoma City beat Minnesota 4-1, a result that helped them become champions of the Western Conference.

In the Playoffs, the Thunder have posted a record of 12 wins and 4 losses. To say they have never won an NBA championship is not entirely true. Under their current name they haven't, but they won one when they were the Seattle SuperSonics. In Oklahoma City, they reached the NBA Finals in 2012 and were defeated by the Miami Heat.

SGA and Haliburton: An NBA Finals point guard duel

While it is true that the collective play of each of the teams will be decisive to know which is the next NBA champion, two players have risen above the rest: Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Pacers' point guard, the franchise's leader since landing from the Sacramento Kings, will pace his teammates' offensive plays. After a poor start to the regular season, Haliburton has rebounded to become the orchestrator the Pacers need to try to win the title. His stats show that he is one of the best current players: 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game in the Playoffs.

He will have to face Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season. The Canadian guard has become a nightmare for all opponents. Every time he's on the hardwood, he shines. And not only because of the numbers he puts up in each game, also because of how he is able to get his teammates involved. His numbers in the Playoffs confirm his value: 29.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

Thunder are early favorites

Aside from the relentless trajectory they have led during this season, the Thunder can lean on the fact that they beat the Pacers in the two games they played this season to reaffirm themselves as the favorites in these NBA Finals.

On Dec. 26, the Thunder stormed the Gainbridge Fieldhouse to beat the Pacers, albeit by a narrow margin (120-114). In that duel, the Pacers started ahead on the scoreboard, leaving the first quarter with a 10-point lead. However, the Thunder began to scrape back until the ultimately took the lead. Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 45 points.

The second meeting dates back to March 29. On this occasion, the Thunder overwhelmed the Pacers (132-111) at the Paycom Center with another strong performance from SGA (33 points).

Looking back, the head-to-head between the two was more evenly matched. For example, last season, the two clashes ended in victory for the Pacers. In the last five years, the Pacers have a 6-4 record, with Indiana winning by the largest margin (152-95) in the same period.