Entering the top 4, we were already guaranteed to have a new Champion. Despite the NBA being a league of dynasties, ever since the Warriors, there have been no repeat winners. Matter a fact, no defending champion has ever even made it back to the conference finals. This year was no different, yet it still feels different. For instance: last year the Celtics won, but they have seemingly lived in the Eastern Conference finals since LeBron was still a Cav. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been banging on the door since 2019. In 2023 was 3-time MVP Jokic winning his first title and establishing himself as the best player in the world. And in 2022 it was the Warriors turning back the clock, cementing Steph’s legacy with his first FMVP, and 4th title. I could keep going on. Even though there have been no repeat winners (and quite frankly, no one who made it close to repeating), it was still the same NBA. Veteran teams, with veteran players, winning in the post-season.
This year, we have two of the youngest teams in the NBA making it to the Finals. The Thunder, the odds on favorites, only have one year of post-season experience prior to this. Led by Shai, a late lottery pick, the Thunder have somehow turned a bunch of fresh college grads into the NBA’s most elite defensive unit. On the other side, we have the Pacers. Nearly as young, led by another late lottery pick in Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are living up to their name: running an incredibly fast paced offense. Both of these teams are young, deep, and lack the typical star power we see in Championship quality rosters. Instead, these rosters strength is their depth, being able to play 10 guys for substantial minutes. Perhaps this is just a one-time fluke, but this is something to keep an eye on. If young teams with substantial depth are able to win now, it may be a sign that the NBA may be entering an entirely new era: one where veteran talent and superstar players no longer dominate the league.
#1 Thunder vs. #4 Pacers
The Thunder have been the best team in the league all year long. They have dominated defensively, largely due to their length and ability to switch nearly all their defenders. The Thunder run one of the tallest line-ups in the league, and have massive guards who are able to defend not only the perimeter, but also the paint. This is a historic team, who is on a historic defensive stretch. The Pacers, however, have also been on a historic stretch of their own. Their PG, Tyrese Haliburton, has been by far the most clutch player in basketball. He has ripped the hearts out of contender after contender in the Eastern conference, holding the record for 10+ point comebacks late in the 4th quarter in a single NBA postseason. However, to comeback by 10+ points, you need to be down 10+ points. And at some point we need to ask ourselves, if they’re coming back from that big of a deficit so many times, will it continue against the best defensive team in recent NBA history? While offensive dry-spells can happen, I believe in the Thunder’s defense is consistent enough to lockdown the Pacers late in the 4th. With that said, the Pacers have proven they can hang with the best of the Eastern conference, and the Thunder are still young enough to continue to play poorly in certain situational moments. I expect the Thunder to dominate in their wins, and for the Pacers to barely scrape by in their wins, pushing the series to 7, where the Thunder ultimately take it all.
Thunder in 7.