THEY are lightweights but look where they are now: in the NBA Finals.
Indiana advanced after routing New York, 125-108, in Sunday’s Eastern Conference-clinching Game 6 Finals in Indianapolis. The win forged a cacophonic clash for the world’s most popular basketball title against Oklahoma City, aka OKC, in a duel of nondescripts if we go by world standards.
Where have Boston, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee gone?
But in fairness, the finalists are also deserving of the spotlight, with OKC scoring convincing wins against Memphis via a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference Finals’ Round 1, and a 4-1 thumping of Minnesota in Round 3 after an epic 4-3 conquest of the heavily-favored 2023 champion Denver in Round 2.
And Indiana had its own heroics. It dismissed both Milwaukee and season topnotcher Cleveland via identical 4-1 victories in Rounds 1 and 2 before capturing the Conference plum with a masterful 4-2 domination of New York.
The NBA Finals will begin on Friday (June 6, 8:30 a.m. PH time), with OKC hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Both are evenly matched and that’s the beauty of this best-of-seven series that, even though it is not basically peopled by established stars of the league, promises an explosive show from a slew of future potential Hall of Famers.
The Thunder boast of Shai “SGA” Gilgeous-Alexander, the Canadian dead shot guard from mid-range who won this year’s Most Valuable Player award. He gets so much help from Chet Holmgren, the beanpole center with a pair of hot hands from afar.
The duo will find their match in Olympic winner Tyrese Haliburton and NBA champion with Toronto Pascal Siakam, Indiana’s 1-2 punch with contrasting playing styles that baffle even the most celebrated of sentinels the league can offer.
OK, a bit of history now.
OKC lost to Miami the last time it made the Finals in 2012.Indiana’s last NBA Finals appearance in 2000 ended in a loss to a Los Angeles squad powered by Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant. But Indiana won ABA titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973.
No. 1 OKC prides itself with a 2-0 record over No. 4 Indiana in the regular season as the Thunder’s 29-1 mark versus EC teams was a league-best.
But, as always, records take the back seat when the crown is on the line. The coming series is no exception.