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The NBA Finals matchup is set as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are the last two teams remaining in the NBA Playoffs. Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers took down the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games during the Western Conference Finals. SGA and the Thunder and heavy favorites in this series, but Haliburton and the Pacers are used to being the underdogs.
Outside of the second round when the Denver Nuggets took the Thunder to seven games, this has been a dominant run by the Thunder. The Pacers have also convincingly cruised through the postseason with series victories coming in five games twice and six games once, but OKC has looked different. Indiana has been clawing from behind to pull off miraculous wins while the Thunder are simply dominating.
OKC has been the best team in the NBA all year long, and the team is close to capping off the season with an NBA championship. It hasn't felt like anyone can stop this team, and it still doesn't. However, there is one thing that could prevent the Thunder from hoising the Larry O'Brien Trophy in a couple of weeks.
One thing that might doom the Thunder
This isn't necessarily a flaw that the Thunder have in terms of their fundamental play, because they really don't have a lot of those. They are the better team here with more talent. That's why the thing that could doom them in this series has nothing to do with their ability to play the game of basketball at a high level. What it will come down to is their mentality and approach to this series.
The one thing that can doom the Thunder is if they aren't taking the Pacers seriously coming into this series. That might sound silly because of the fact that this is the NBA Finals, and any team that makes it this far is playing some exceptional basketball. However, Indiana has been doubted throughout the playoffs. You have to imagine that the Thunder might be thinking about this series a little bit differently if the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers made it this far.
Oddsmakers are certainly doubting the Pacers in this series as the Thunder are huge favorites. Indiana is plus money to win just two games in the series. Fans across the NBA are doubting the Pacers as well as OKC is the overwhelming pick to win it. Everyone is doubting the Pacers, but the Thunder absolutely can't afford to go into this series with a relaxed attitude.
This is the NBA Finals and they have a chance to win the first title in franchise history, so taking the opponent seriously shouldn't be an issue for the Thunder. However, it can be easier said than done sometimes. We will be able to tell from the start how locked in each team is for the NBA Finals.
How the Thunder got here
It's been an exciting journey through the NBA Playoffs for OKC, and aside from a scare against the Denver Nuggets, it's been a relatively stress-free run to the NBA Finals.
The Thunder opened up their NBA Playoffs run with a series against the Memphis Grizzlies, and this one was never in doubt. The Grizzlies played well during their two games at home, but they didn't play well enough to earn any wins in the series. The Thunder cruised to an easy 4-0 win to advance to the second round.
Up next for the Thunder was the Denver Nuggets, and this is where things got dicey for OKC. Denver found a way to steal game one on the road, and that set things up for an exciting series. The Thunder clawed back with a road win of their own, and this back-and-forth battle ended up going to seven games. The Thunder were the home team in Game 7, and they were able to fend off the Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
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The Thunder didn't have a lot of trouble advancing to the NBA Finals as they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. After cruising to an easy 2-0 lead, Minnesota did make things interesting in Game 3 with a dominant win at home, but SGA took over during the next two games and made sure that the Thunder were going to make it to the NBA Finals.
Now, the Thunder are just four wins away from glory as they get ready to start their series against the Pacers.
How the Pacers got here
The Pacers' run to the NBA Finals has been a lot more surprising. Everyone expected the Thunder to make it this far, but no one gave Indiana a chance.
Indiana started its run with a series against the Milwaukee Bucks. There were some tight games in this series, but the Pacers ended up only needing five games to advance. The Bucks blew a seven-point lead with under one minute to go in Game 5.
The Pacers were expected to lose to the Cavaliers in the second round as Cleveland was the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but again, it took the Pacers just five games to advance. Nobody saw that coming, but the oddsmakers still weren't taking the Pacers seriously.
Indiana was once again the underdog in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, and to be fair, New York did take the Pacers further than any other team as the series lasted six games. Still, it was another impressive series win, and Indiana is now four wins away from a championship.
Both teams are coming into the NBA Finals with 12-4 playoff records. These teams are hot, and it's going to be a good series. Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder will go down on Thursday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The game will get underway at 7:30 CT, and it will be airing on ABC. The Thunder are currently favored by 9.5 points.
