Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Finals Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder Resilience, Takeaways, Pacers

June 14th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Earnest Marshall

The NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Pacers is heading back to Oklahoma City with the series tied at two games apiece following fourth quarter heroics from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the game’s final four-and-a-half minutes to help the Thunder overcome a two-possession deficit.

“I knew what it would have looked like if we lost tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I didn’t want to go out not swinging. I didn’t want to go out not doing everything I could do in my power, in my control, to try to win the game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 11 points in the final three minutes are the most during that stretch of a Finals game in 50 years, per MacMahon. The Thunder’s defense also held the Pacers to just one point in the final 3:20.

“I relish those moments, love the moments, good or bad,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When I was a kid shooting at my driveway, I’d count down the clock for those moments. Now I get to live it. It’s a blessing, it’s fun, and I relish it.”

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Game 4 of the NBA Finals felt “eerily reminiscent” of Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between Oklahoma City and Denver, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The Thunder trailed on the road in that game by multiple possessions before rallying and ultimately winning that series in seven. For the first time all series, it felt like the Pacers tired in the fourth quarter, missing all eight of their three-point attempts in the period after making 39% in the first three quarters.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s chill demeanor is shining through in these playoffs, and his legendary Game 4 performance showed no moment is too big for him, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes. “You wouldn’t know if it was a preseason game or it’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals down 2-1 with him,” teammate Alex Caruso said. “That’s why we have such a good mentality as a group. That’s why we are able to find success in adversity. No matter what’s going on, you look at him and he’s the same. Underneath that stoic personality or (his) look on the court is a deep, deep-rooted competitiveness. That is sprinkled throughout the whole team. …He never blinks, never shies away from the moment.“
The Pacers let little things slip in their Game 4 loss, The Athletic’s Shakeia Taylor writes. Indiana missed eight free throws, including some late attempts from Bennedict Mathurin, while the team committed more fouls, lost the offensive rebound battle, turned the ball over more, and allowed far more second chance points. Still, the Pacers are confident they’re still in a good spot as the series heads back to OKC. “We’ve won some games on the road before, so I think we just gotta go out there with our confidence,” Pascal Siakam said. “We’ll watch [film on] what we did wrong and try to get better at those things. We just gotta go out there and do things that we’ve done in the past.“

Thunder Notes: Identity, Gilgeous-Alexander, Shooting, Turnovers

June 13th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

In Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, the Thunder struggled to maintain the identity that made them such a powerhouse throughout the regular season and much of the playoffs, writes Joel Lorezni of The Oklahoman. If they want to head back to Oklahoma City having tied the series against the Pacers, they need to reclaim their composure.

It’s a sentiment that head coach Mark Daigneault shares, though he’s not overreacting to the 2-1 deficit.

“I think that happens in a playoff series,” he said on Thursday. “Four games, five games, six games, seven games is a long time. You’re going to get a range of games and experiences in that.”

Lorenzi points to the passing numbers for the Thunder as proof of them getting away from their game. In the team’s two losses to Indiana, Oklahoma City has posted its two lowest assist totals of the season. That, coupled with uncharacteristically sloppy turnovers, points to a team out of sorts and needing to settle into its game.

“At the end of the day,” Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says, “we have to be who we are and who we’ve been all season. I think we got back to that in that series. If we want to give ourselves a chance in this series, it has to be the same thing.”

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The Pacers have made life difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander, hounding him throughout the game and wearing him down late, writes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. That’s no excuse in the MVP’s eyes. “To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. MacMahon writes that the Pacers began defending Gilgeous-Alexander an average of 65.5 feet from the basket, a level of defensive intensity the young star has never faced before, and that resulted in him bringing the ball up far less often than he typically would. Indiana employed a similar tactic against the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson in the Eastern Conference Finals and was successful in getting the ball out of his hands for stretches. In the Game 3 loss, Gilgeous-Alexander only scored three points on three shots and had no assists in the pivotal fourth quarter. How he bounces back in Game 4 will go a long way in determining the Thunder’s fate.
Beyond the pressure on their star, the Thunder’s struggles to convert mid-range shots is another issue facing the team, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger writes that while the Thunder have shot well on three-pointers and drawn fouls, their two-point shooting, which is usually a strength, has deserted them. They’re making 47.2% of two-pointers this series, compared to their average of 55.9%, after shooting 54% against the Nuggets and 55.7% against the Timberwolves. Jalen Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander have particularly struggled from that range, which is a problem since that’s the bread and butter for the Thunder’s two best players.
Turnovers have been another major factor in Oklahoma City’s struggles, says Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Most glaringly, the team committed three inbounds turnovers off of made baskets, which led to three T.J. McConnell steals. These kinds of unforced errors can have huge consequences, says Alex Caruso, who was responsible for one of them. “I call them pick-sixes,” Caruso said. “It’s a live-ball turnover in your third of the court and they score. It can add up to eight, 10, 12 points, which might be the difference in the game.” The Thunder finished the game with 19 turnovers, their highest total of the playoffs, with Gilgeous-Alexander responsible for six of them. “It just goes back to being tighter, being more focused, being more forceful all night,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Thunder Notes: Caruso, Wiggins, Ownership, Depth, Defensive Strategy

June 10th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Alex Caruso played 19.3 minutes per game during the regular season but is averaging 23 minutes during the postseason. Caruso, who averaged 28.7 minutes last season with Chicago, said the reduced playing time over the course of the year was by design. The Thunder wanted to keep the hard-nosed guard fresh for a deep playoff run.

“I just only have one gear. I don’t know how to play at 75 percent. Some of that was keeping me out of my own way, out of harm’s way. I don’t do a good job of that on my own,” Caruso said, per Ryan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. “Yeah, some of that, it was difficult just because I am such a competitive guy. If I’m only playing 15 to 20 minutes, if it’s one of those nights where it’s 15, we’re not playing great, like my instinct is to, all right, coach, leave me in there, let me fix it, let me be the one to help us get out of it.”

We have more on the Thunder with Game 3 of the NBA Finals approaching on Wednesday:

Aaron Wiggins erupted for 18 points in 21 minutes in Game 2 after playing just nine minutes in Game 1. That made a strong impression on one of his All Star teammates. “It’s the hardest job in the league, I feel like. I think he’s underrated … It’s really hard to stay engaged and stay ready. For him to be able to do that on the biggest stage he’s ever played on and have a really good game, very special player. I always keep that in mind. Yeah, it’s a really tough job. He does it very well,” Jalen Williams said, per Stiles.
Some investors may be regretting their decision to not grab a stake in the franchise. According to Kurt Badenhausen and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, shares of the team held by the estate of fracking baron Aubrey McClendon, who died in 2016, were put up for sale in 2019. McClendon was part of Clay Bennett‘s group that paid $350MM for Seattle SuperSonics in 2006. Those shares, approximately 20 percent of the franchise, remained on the market for a while before ultimately purchased by the current majority stakeholders.
The Thunder were a plus-11 in Game 2 during the 12 minutes that MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench, a showcase of their depth, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater notes. The five-man unit of Caruso (who had 20 points), Williams, Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Hartenstein was particularly potent. “We’ve played that lineup a lot through the playoffs,” Caruso said. “(Head coach) Mark (Daigneault) went back to it because we’ve had a lot of success. Me and Cason do a good job of mixing it up with whoever is the lead guard. Dub has great hands. We have a versatility in the lineup. It lets Wigs get a little bit loose, too.”
In Game 2, Oklahoma City found success via a combination of ball screen location, aggression and overall defensive alignment, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. He breaks down OKC’s defensive strategy that slowed the Pacers’ high-octane attack.

Thunder Notes: SGA, Caruso, Williams, Holmgren, Game 2 Adjustments

June 9th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set a record for the most combined points by a player in his first two NBA Finals games as the Thunder defeated Indiana to even their series at 1-1, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. After taking 30 shots to reach 38 points in Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander was more efficient on Sunday, going 11-of-21 from the field and 11-of-12 from the foul line en route to a 34-point performance.

MacMahon notes that SGA also established a franchise record with his 12th 30-point game of this year’s playoffs, topping the mark set by Kevin Durant in 2014.

“I’m being myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I don’t think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”

The reigning MVP and the league’s best regular season team both looked more in character in Game 2 than they did while letting a 15-point fourth quarter lead slip away in the opener. Gilgeous-Alexander resumed his normal role as a facilitator as well as a scorer, handing out eight assists after having just three in Game 1. His assists went to seven different teammates, and six of them resulted in made three-pointers.

“He’s just getting better and better, which is very impressive,” Jalen Williams said. “Obviously, he’s the MVP of the league. For him to continue to get better is good. He just trusts us to make plays. I think when your best player is out there and he trusts you to make a play, it just gives you more confidence. He understands that. I think that’s one of the roles he’s gotten really good at and grown at, and it just makes our team better.”

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Defensive sparkplug Alex Caruso delivered 20 points off the bench to help keep the game out of reach, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. It was a scoring mark he didn’t achieve in any game during the regular season, and it was more than any Pacers player was able to muster. “He’s one of those guys who you know is going to bring it every single night,” Chet Holmgren said. “Whether he’s 22 or 30, doesn’t matter. He’s going to bring it. I feel like, as a collective, we really feed off of that. Then also his ability to kind of process things that are happening out there and relay it and communicate it to everybody else is really important for us.”
After subpar showings in the series opener, Williams and Holmgren delivered more typical outings in Game 2, notes Will Guillory of The Athletic. Williams contributed 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Holmgren added 15 points and six rebounds. Aaron Wiggins chipped in 18 points off the bench as the Thunder reserves outscored the Pacers’ reserves, 48-34.
Coach Mark Daigneault stuck with his smaller starting lineup from Game 1 — with Cason Wallace replacing Isaiah Hartenstein — but he made a few adjustments on Sunday, observes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Holmgren and Hartenstein saw time together, allowing Oklahoma City to be more competitive on the boards, and rookie guard Ajay Mitchell was barely used.

NBA Finals Notes: Court Design, Nembhard, SGA, Game 2

June 7th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Responding to online complaints about the plain nature of the court for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver said the league office will have discussions this summer about bringing back the Larry O’Brien Trophy logo, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Paycom Center floor on Thursday was indistinguishable from a regular season game, lacking the trophy and the distinctive NBA Finals logo that used to be a tradition.

Amick explains that the league stopped using the trophy logo in 2014 in response to complaints about “slipperiness” on the courts. The Cavaliers had a small version of the trophy in the corner of their home court in 2017, and a much larger logo with a YouTube sponsorship was featured on the court during the 2020 Finals at the bubble in Orlando.

Silver is sympathetic toward fans who want the court for the league’s biggest event to have a special look.

“Maybe there’s a way around it,” he said. “To be honest, I hadn’t thought all that much about it until I (saw) it (on social media). I’m nostalgic, as well, for certain things. And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it’s people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it’s nice when you’re looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it’s a special event. So, we’ll look at it.”

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Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has a long-running friendship and rivalry with Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, per Tim Reyonolds of the Associated Press. They grew up playing basketball together, and they’re both members of Canada’s national team. Nembhard was SGA’s primary defender in Game 1, and even though the reigning MVP finished with 38 points, he admits that he had to work hard for them. “He’s a competitor. He’s a winner,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Nembhard. “Plays the game the right way on both ends of the floor. Really good player. Yeah, he’s a winner for sure. No doubt.”
The Thunder have been exceptional after losses throughout the regular season and playoffs, so the Pacers will have a huge challenge in Game 2, Reynolds adds in a separate story. Oklahoma City has a 17-2 record in the next game coming off a defeat with an average margin of victory of 17.5 points. “You don’t want to be reactive to the last game because then you can be too high after wins, you can be too low after losses,” OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. “We just get ourselves to neutral. Understand every game is different, every game is unwritten. You go out there, the ball goes up in the air, and the team that competes better on that night wins.”
John Hollinger of The Athletic analyzes several key plays from the series opener to understand how Indiana was able to erase a 15-point fourth quarter deficit.

Thunder Notes: Jalen Williams, Holmgren, SGA, Presti

June 7th, 2025 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the scoring load as expected for the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both suffered through off nights, combining for 23 points while shooting 8-of-28 from the field, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Williams saw his normal workload, but Holmgren was limited to 23 minutes as OKC coach Mark Daigneault went away from his two-big lineups.

At Saturday’s practice, Daigneault noted that Williams and Holmgren, who were both drafted in 2022, are young players who are being asked to produce on the league’s biggest stage.

“They have carved out huge roles on our team — they are a huge reason why we’re here,” he said. “They are in an uncommon position for third-year players. These are guys that are in their third year. Usually, delivering in the Finals is not on the curriculum for third-year players, you know, and they have thrust themselves into that situation, which is a credit to them.

“And now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs, which is go out there, fully compete, learn the lessons, and apply it forward. And they have done a great job of that. I think you’ve seen that over the course of the playoffs. They haven’t always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one.”

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In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Williams talks about his quick rise from a mid-major college team to NBA stardom. Williams reveals that he didn’t receive any Power 5 scholarship offers, so he opted for Santa Clara, where he gradually developed into an NBA prospect. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate everything that happened and I look back and believe that if it didn’t happen that way, I don’t think I would be in the position I was,” Williams said. “So, in a way, honestly, it just makes me feel kind of relieved and happy that was the way it went. I remember a lot of times I would work out because something went wrong or I didn’t get picked for something I thought I should get picked for. It made me go to the gym. It made me take it way more seriously.”
With an MVP award already in his possession, Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to join an elite list of players by winning an NBA championship, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Lorenzi points out that Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players to capture a scoring title, MVP honors and Finals MVP in the same season.
John Hollinger of The Athletic examines how general manager Sam Presti was able to build a second great team in Oklahoma City after his first one fell apart without winning a title.

NBA Finals Notes: Game 1, Haliburton, Carlisle, Nembhard, Presentation

June 6th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers continue to defy the odds in these NBA playoffs, pulling off an improbable fourth-quarter comeback for a fourth consecutive series and a second straight Game 1. Indiana didn’t hold a lead on Thursday in Oklahoma City until Tyrese Haliburton made a jumper that put the team up 111-110 with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. It was the fourth time during the 2025 postseason that Haliburton has converted a game-winning or game-tying shot with less than five seconds remaining, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“I don’t know what you say about it, but I know that this group is a resilient group,” Haliburton said. “And we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.”

The Pacers turned the ball over 24 times and attempted just 82 field goals and 21 free throws on the night, compared to six turnovers, 98 field goal attempts, and 24 free throws for the Thunder. But a strong shooting performance that included a 46.2% mark from beyond the arc (18-of-39) kept Indiana within striking distance.

Haliburton didn’t play a major part in the Pacers’ three-point success, scoring just 14 points and knocking down 2-of-7 shots from long range. However, his teammates had full trust in their point guard when he raced up the court with the ball in his hands during that final possession.

“I swear as soon as he jumped up to shoot, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s good,'” Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said, according to Collier. “Every time it’s in his hands in those situations, I just think it’s good.”

“(He has) ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” center Myles Turner added, per Grant Afseth of Hardwood Heroics. “Some players will say they have it but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. That’s one of the things I respect about him. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer. When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from the moment, and it is very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way, and we keep putting the ball in the right positions, and the rest is history.”

Here’s more on the NBA Finals in the wake of a thrilling first game:

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who has spent 23 seasons as an NBA coach and won a title in 2011 in Dallas, said on Thursday that he has a special appreciation for this Pacers team, as Afseth relays. “It’s a group I love,” Carlisle said. “It’s a group that we’ve invested a lot in — in how we were going to draft, who we were going to draft, and development. From a coaching perspective, I’m proud of this year because not only did we win enough games to get into the top four, but we are still developing players.”
The Game 1 loss was similar to the Thunder’s other home loss during these playoffs, when they let a 13-point fourth quarter lead slip away in Game 3 of the conference semifinals vs. Denver, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The Thunder came back in that series after falling behind 2-1 as a result of that home loss, so while they were disappointed by Thursday’s outcome, they’re confident in their ability to bounce back. “It sucks, but we have been here before,” Jalen Williams said, while head coach Mark Daigneault added, “We would’ve liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point, not an end point.” As MacMahon writes, Oklahoma City is 4-0 after losses during these playoffs, with an average margin of victory of 20.5 points per game.
With Isaiah Hartenstein removed from the starting lineup and limited to just 17 minutes of action, the Thunder were out-rebounded 56-39 by one of the league’s worst rebounding teams. “Some of it is the cost of doing business,” Daigneault said of sticking with a smaller lineup, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “To be able to get perimeter speed on the court, get more switching in the game. It’s obviously something that is a tradeoff. I thought the small lineup at the end of the first half looked pretty good. That’s why I went back to it down the stretch. When we’re small, we have to be pressure-oriented and contain the ball. I thought they got some cracks against us that hurt us a little bit more than the post-ups did.”
While Haliburton was the Game 1 hero, Andrew Nembhard deserves a lot of credit for helping the Pacers stay in the game and complete their comeback, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. In addition to hitting a big three-pointer in the game’s final minutes, Nembhard served as the primary defender on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 38 points but needed 30 shots to do it. “If there wasn’t the 65-game rule, he’s an All-Defensive guy, plain and simple,” Haliburton said of Nembhard. “We have the most trust in him. Shai is the hardest guard in the NBA. He’s the hardest guy to cover one-on-one in the NBA. So there’s no one look we can give him that is going to work every time. We trust Drew in those situations.”
Amid myriad complaints on social media that Game 1 of the NBA Finals felt like just another regular season contest, Dan Shanoff of The Athletic offers three suggestions that the NBA and ABC could make for the rest of the series to improve the presentation, including putting the Finals logo on the court and showing the in-arena starting lineup introductions on the TV broadcast.

Pacers Notes: Nesmith, Haliburton, Bradley, Walker

June 5th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Nesmith went to the NBA Finals in 2022, but in a much smaller role than he’ll have this year, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Nesmith was in his second NBA season when Boston faced Golden State three years ago, and he mostly made limited appearances in the playoffs. His career didn’t take off until he was traded to Indiana shortly after that series ended.

Speaking at Finals media day on Wednesday, Nesmith said the Pacers got a lesson in how to handle an extended playoff run after being ousted in the conference finals last season.

“We just learned how hard it is to get here and not taking being in this position for granted,” he said. “Understanding most guys don’t play this long into the season, into the year. Just having our bodies right, our legs underneath us. I think it’s very helpful.”

Nesmith played a huge role in helping Indiana reach the Finals for the first time in 25 years. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 16 playoff games while shooting 50% from three-point range. He was the hero of the Game 1 victory against New York, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.

Nesmith acknowledges that his team is a huge underdog against Oklahoma City, but he believes the key to an upset will be dictating the style of play.

“Continue to play Pacers basketball,” he said. “That’s what got us here. I think that’s what’s going to help us succeed in the Finals. That’s what we’re going to have to do.”

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Tyrese Haliburton gets inspired when he hears people dismiss his team, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The Pacers weren’t favored to beat Cleveland or New York, but have compiled a 12-4 record in the playoffs, the same as the Thunder. “I’ll continue to tell you guys in certain moments that it doesn’t matter what people say, but it matters — and I enjoy it,” Haliburton said. “I think the greats try to find external motivation as much as they can and that’s something that’s always worked for me.”
Haliburton shared details of the team’s flight to Oklahoma City, which had to be diverted due to weather and wound up arriving more than three hours late, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). “We took off, and I slept the whole plane ride, which I don’t normally do,” Haliburton said. “We landed, I was ready to get up. They said we were in Tulsa. We sat there for another hour. Then took off again. Felt like we were in the air for another hour and a half. … So, like a five-hour travel day. We might as well travel to Portland.”
Backup center Tony Bradley has some familiarity with his Finals opponent after being sent to Oklahoma City as part of a three-team deal at the 2021 trade deadline. Bradley, who appeared in 22 games during his time with the Thunder, told Clemente Almanza of OKC Thunder Wire that he enjoyed watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander develop into a star. “Honestly, he’s the same player. When I was here, he was just getting more recognition,” Bradley said. “Of course, he’s improved since I’ve been with him, but I’ve seen the potential was there.”
As expected, Jarace Walker isn’t available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals after spraining his right ankle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Bradley, who has been dealing with a left hip flexor strain, is active.

Pacers Notes: Nesmith, Haliburton, Canadians

June 5th, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

Aaron Nesmith didn’t miss any games after spraining his right ankle in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. New York, but playing through the injury wasn’t easy, according to the Pacers wing, who was limited to 16 minutes in Game 5 and just under 20 in Game 6, his two lowest totals of the postseason (he also had some foul trouble in Game 6).

“It took a lot (to return for Game 4),” Nesmith said on Wednesday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “It was pretty much rehab every minute of that day. It was cold tub, game-ready, hyperbaric chambers, it was red light therapy. It was manual wave, it was shock wave. Anything you could name we kinda threw it at the ankle, but there was no chance I was missing that game.”

Although the Pacers haven’t had as much rest between the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals as the Thunder, Indiana still had four full days off prior to Thursday’s Game 1. Few Pacers appreciated those off-days more than Nesmith.

“I needed ’em,” he said. “I was looking forward to these days off. I took ’em, and I’ll be ready.”

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Given the challenges the NBA has faced over the years trying to find a way to stop teams from tanking, the league should be rejoicing that Indiana has made it to this year’s NBA Finals, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. As Lloyd details, team owner Herb Simon has long had an aversion to tanking, so the Pacers have never really done it — the club was stuck in the middle at times, but has won fewer than 32 games in a season just once in the past 35 years.
Following an on-court altercation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at the end of the Pacers’ first-round series win, Tyrese Haliburton‘s father John Haliburton was effectively banned from attending games. However, that ban was lifted for Pacers home games midway through the Eastern Conference Finals as long as the elder Haliburton watched from a suite. For the NBA Finals, he won’t be prohibited from attending games at either arena, Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star. “I think the commentary around my dad got a little ridiculous,” Tyrese said. “Of course, I’m going to say that. I’m his son. It got a little over the top. He was wrong. That is what it is. I don’t think any of us want to be defined by our worst moments. That’s just sports media. Sometimes we just take a super good thing or a super bad thing and overblow it. It is what it is. He’s learned from it. It won’t happen again. Love my pops dearly. Really thankful he’s going to be in the building along with me on this journey.”
Both teams competing in the NBA Finals have multiple Canadians on their rosters, with Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin representing the Pacers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort competing for the Thunder. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes a look at the shared history among those players, three of whom represented Canada in last year’s Olympics, while Julian McKenzie of The Athletic specifically examines the bond between Montreal natives Mathurin and Dort, who grew up minutes from one another and each describes the other as being like “a brother.”

Pacers Notes: Pierce, Haliburton, Flight, Defending SGA, Underdog Role

June 4th, 2025 at 3:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lloyd Pierce had a rough two-and-a-half seasons as a head coach with the Hawks from 2018-21. Pierce, now one of Rick Carlisle‘s top assistants with the Pacers, is hoping for another shot at being an NBA head coach, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“I took a head coaching job and I learned a lot,” Pierce said. “I want to be able to prove to myself. More than anything, I want to propel an organization to where we are right now, the NBA Finals.

“Every competitor struggles with the day they were let go. And so, everything you do moving forward is first self-awareness, and then second it’s do what you need to do to get back in that seat and prove everybody wrong, and more importantly prove it to yourself. And I’m definitely more about proving myself, and so I’m not stressing over it. But I definitely feel like I deserve an opportunity to get back in that seat again.”

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Considering the team’s slow start, the Pacers made an unexpected rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton plans to savor his first taste of the NBA Finals, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes. “This is a really exciting time for me personally to have this opportunity,” Haliburton said. “This is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. Last year, having playoff success in my first playoff run and being unsuccessful to start the season, for me I thought a lot about, wow, maybe I took last year for granted. I didn’t know what the playoffs were going to look like as the year was going on. I didn’t know if we’d be a play-in team or where we’d stack up in the end with how we were playing early in the year. I’m definitely not taking this for granted. Learning to appreciate every day and remember all these days as best as I can.”
The Pacers’ flight to Oklahoma City on Tuesday took an unexpected turn. The team’s charter flight was first diverted to Tulsa due to severe weather in Oklahoma. Then, after refueling there, the plane was re-routed around another band of weather before finally landing in Oklahoma City about three-and-a-half hours behind schedule, according to The Associated Press.
How will they defend Thunder star guard and Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated tackles that topic, speculating that Andrew Nembhard will likely serve as the point-of-attack defender. Stiles also anticipates the Pacers will attempt to clog the driving lanes as SGA works to get to his spots at the elbow, the baseline and the rim.
The Pacers are heavy underdogs to win the championship and they’re comfortable in that role, Dopirak writes. “We’ve all been doubted at some point in time of our lives,” Carlisle said. “You look in the mirror, you gotta face the doubts and you decide, how are you going to go forward? Are you going to fight through and find a way or are you going to find an excuse. Our team is a bunch of guys who have found a way in a lot of different situations.”

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