2025 EAST FINALS: (3) New York Knicks Vs. (4) Indiana Pacers

Would and will root for the Pacers vs OKC, but this not a very marketable matchup, nor an interesting finale. The NBA isn't coming out of this with a generational star and they need one to emerge badly. At least with NY you would have media interest and some hype.

 

In all the years you have watched basketball you are not tired of watching the big market teams in the finals? Indiana reminds me of the Wallace bros championship team. Really enjoyed seeing their collective talent beat superstars. However, Hali is playing on another level right now. What would be an interesting matchup for you? As long as it's competitive, should be great.

 

Respectfully disagree, Shai is this year's MVP, OKC has had a historical statistical run and is a 68 win team, only around seven teams in NBA history have matched or better records.

Indiana is a fun collective, running team, with an entertaining clutch shooter fresh off a series were this happened, a callback to a classic clutch rivalry. Looking forward to it personally.

 

You don't beat the Bucks and Cavs in a 7 Game series without having the right blend of coaching and players. I still think it will be Pacers in 6 and I think this team has what it takes to take OKC down with their playstyle.

Little dependency on free throw shooting or fouls in general, high pace and end-to-end action. OKC defense is killer in the half-court and particularly suffocating for big men who roam the middle as we have seen for Randle and Jokic. This is not how Indy will play.

 

And everyone seems to be healthy, crossing fingers.

 

I am happy for Indiana. I think they will be crushed in the finals. But who knows.

It is still so strange that a play off series between teams coached by Carlisle and Tibs looks like this.

 

Haven't they started every Playoff series with 2 Wins on the Road? Lmao.....how can you lose with that advantage.....

 

How often do you see 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers from any player, let alone from a true PG? In a playoff game, no less? At age 25? Hint: nobody has had numbers like that, ever. More performances like that, even two thirds of that, seems generational to me.

 

I chuckled that the finals Narratives will be interesting.
If it has low viewership it will be because of Narrative and Marketing more than "small markets"

The Foul Merchant versus Mr. Underrated

Rocket River

 

I loved how Toppin hit the dagger 3 at the end.

That's Pacer basketball... whatever guy you leave open, they find him, he delivers. Starter or 10th man.

 

I wonder if the players who voted on that poll regret calling Hali overrated and turning him into a bonafide playoff superstar? Lmao, those are insane numbers, I think they could potentially win it all.

 

The pacers are going to wreck OKC.

People are latching onto the 68 win nonsense a bit too much, the western conference while tight, has been historically weak with OKC as the #1 seed.

Not better than the GS teams, not better than the 2018 rockets (would have gotten rekt), probably slightly worse than the Denver team, not close to the SA teams either. One of the weaker #1 teams at a time when the league is wide open

 

Hell this isn't even the best OKC team in the last 10 years, the durant/WB/Ibaka thunder were far better

 

Hailburton is just too much of a star for it to feel that way. Remember, this is the age of social media, so Indiana Pacer fans are easily in the 10s of millions if not 100s of millions. Big Market doesn't mean what it used to mean. Pacers, like all contemporary NBA teams, have a bunch of scorers with Bigs that can score from anywhere, so they are not like the 2004 Pistons squad with exemption to Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed would fit well in this era and probably secure a $400 million dollar 5 year contract if he were playing today with his skill set.
Dirk might be $600 million + over 5 years.

 

*Delete*

 

Kind of crazy a Thibs team is losing this on defense. Turnovers and bad fouls are an issue but by god, not figuring it out to run back, stop the ball and just getting lost on switches and allowing wide open shots at the rim is crazy. Knicks are soft as hell.

Pacers deserve a lot of credit though and are really a team. Helluva coach and Haliburton ballin out!! Hope they beat OKC’s ass. Both series over in 5 would be crazy but I expect it at this point. Knicks losing those 2 games at home really came back to haunt them.

 

The Pacers continued a long streak: The last time they scored under 100 points at home was in December.

December of 2022.

another fun fact: Bennedict Mathurin became the first player in NBA postseason history to score 20+ points in less than 13 minutes. The Pacers have been playing a deep rotation as always, but bench minutes have diminished and starters minutes have gone up, as I guess you'd have to expect.

 

I can't see the Pacers beating OKC but they have a far better shot than the Knicks who would be slaughtered. Knicks weaknesses match up perfectly with OKC's strengths. Pacers at least move the ball very well and can beat zone defenses. Hopefully no Pacers players get injured to close out the Knicks series.

 

FYI,

Pacers vs. OKC this season, 2-0 OKC, one close game, one not so close

1) Dec 26th at Indy, OKC at full strength, Indiana without Nesmith. OKC won 120-114. Pacers led for 3 full quarters, but OKC cut it to 1 going into the 4th. Then Shai went off in a 37-point OKC 4th Q, though the game was tied with 2:04 left. Bad game for Haliburton. Pacers shot 39% from 3-point range, 47% overall.
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401704976

2) Mar 29th at OKC, Pacers without Mathurin, OKC without Holmgren. OKC won 132-111. 7 Pacers in double figures but a close game turned before halftime and a 3rd Q OKC run put it out of reach. Pacers shot 33.3% from 3-point range, 45% overall.
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705645

 

Landing at JFK