On Saturday evening, the Indiana Pacers closed out the New York Knicks on their home court, punching their ticket to the NBA Finals. With the win, Indiana will now face Oklahoma City in the final series of the season.
The Pacers took a commanding 3-1 series lead versus New York days ago, but a 17-point blowout in Game 5 led to some East intrigue. There was little in Game 6, though, as the Pacers mounted a second-half offensive onslaught, and were able to keep the Knicks at arm’s length down the stretch.
Star guard Tyrese Haliburton has been the catalyst in every Pacers series so far, though forward Pascal Siakam came away with the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. And the rest of the team has certainly been strong throughout.
Oklahoma City earned their bid to the Finals days ago, disposing of the Timberwolves in five games. Outside of a 42-point loss in Game 3, OKC looked the more dominant team nightly.
The catalyst of the Thunder’s postseason was a Game 7 win against Denver, where the team overcame the hurdle that was Nikola Jokic and co. The team has played with confidence since, and is hoping to carry that over to the final series of the season.
Now, the team is just four wins away from taking home their first championship since relocation. OKC lost just one game to an Eastern Conference opponent in the regular season, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in early-January. There’s little question that Oklahoma City will be the overall and game-to-game favorite to beat Indiana.
Be it the Thunder or Pacers, one team is set to break a championship drought. Game 1 of the NBA Finals will tip off on Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
