The NBA Finals Are Set: Thunder vs. Pacers, Starting Thursday Night

The 2025 NBA Finals will feature MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Game 1 tips off Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City, OK. (WE) — The 2025 NBA Finals are finally here, and the matchup is a surprise to many: the Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers, with Game 1 tipping off Thursday night in Oklahoma City. This pairing stands out not just because of their 2025 journey, but because it began taking shape back in 2017.

That was the year the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to Oklahoma City. Indiana received a package that included Domantas Sabonis. Two years later, in 2019, the Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers, getting back a package centered around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

By 2022, the Pacers sent Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings, acquiring a new face of their franchise: Tyrese Haliburton. Now, Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton—two of the brightest stars in the league—are about to go head-to-head for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Gilgeous-Alexander, recently crowned NBA MVP, has led the Thunder to the Finals for the first time since 2012. Haliburton, who won Olympic gold with Team USA at the Tokyo Games, now leads the Pacers into only their second NBA Finals appearance.

After Indiana closed out the New York Knicks with a 125–108 victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Haliburton addressed the crowd during a TNT interview.

“Man, I’m just so proud of this group,” he said, catching his breath. “I don’t even have words right now. It’s really exciting. We’ll enjoy this one for now. There’s four more. There’s a lot more work to do, against a really tough team.”

The Thunder finished the season with an incredible 80–18 record, going 68–14 in the regular season and 12–4 in the playoffs. They swept the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1, survived a grueling seven-game battle against the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals, and closed out the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to win the Western Conference title.

Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, the defensive anchor in his first full season, summed it up with the intensity of a veteran.

“Winning is special,” Holmgren said. “Nothing is guaranteed in this league. If everyone could win, we’d hand out participation trophies, not the Larry O’Brien.” You have to take it in and appreciate what you’ve accomplished—but the next day, you turn the page and prepare for what’s next. That’s where we’re at.”

This year marks the Thunder franchise’s second NBA Finals appearance since relocating from Seattle, and its fifth overall. Back when the team was the Seattle SuperSonics, they lost the NBA World Championship Series to the Washington Bullets in 1978 but avenged that loss the next year to win the title in 1979. They reached the Finals again in 1996, losing to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Their last Finals appearance came in 2012, where they lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are back in the Finals for the first time in 25 years. Their last trip was in 2000, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Indiana, however, has three championships from its ABA days, winning in 1970, 1972, and 1973.

Indiana entered this postseason as the No. 4 seed in the East. They handled the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, then stunned the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in another five-game series. In the conference finals, they knocked off the Knicks, a team that had looked dominant early in the playoffs.

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The Pacers started the season slowly, going 10–15. But they turned things around and finished with a 40–17 stretch to close the regular season at 50–32. That kind of recovery is rare. Indiana became just the fourth team in league history to start 10–15 or worse and still win a conference title. The others: the 1977–78 Seattle SuperSonics, the 1956–57 St. Louis Hawks, and the 1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers. None of those teams went on to win the NBA title.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle emphasized a familiar Indiana phrase: “In 49 states, it’s just basketball. But this is Indiana. Our guys earned this. Congratulations to our guys.”

The Thunder dominated the regular season series against the Pacers, winning both matchups. Oklahoma City went 29–1 against Eastern Conference teams this season. That record doesn’t include the NBA In-Season Tournament loss to Milwaukee in the championship game, a contest that didn’t count in the standings.

This year’s Finals also revive a storyline that still echoes: the Paul George trade. Though George won’t play in this series, his time with both franchises links them in a unique way. During the 2018–19 season, George averaged 28 points and finished third in MVP voting—his best statistical season to date, and arguably one of the most impactful seasons in Thunder history.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reflected on George’s legacy in Oklahoma City.

“Obviously, he wasn’t here long, but he had great years here,” Daigneault said. “One of the best years of his career was here. “He delivered one of the best individual seasons in this organization’s history—which says a lot, considering the talent this franchise has had. I respect him a great deal.”

This Finals stage features two franchises that have followed distinctly different blueprints. Oklahoma City built through the draft, added savvy trades, and developed its young stars into elite contributors. In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren, the Thunder leaned heavily on Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, and Lu Dort. Every piece in the rotation plays a role, and each player grew up in the system.

Indiana, by contrast, relied on a mix of trade acquisitions and veteran leadership. Haliburton became the face of the franchise after arriving from Sacramento. Pascal Siakam, acquired midseason from the Toronto Raptors, added playoff experience and a championship pedigree. Myles Turner, the longest-tenured Pacer, anchored the defense while providing leadership.

As Game 1 looms, the narratives write themselves: The MVP versus the Olympic gold medalist. Two upstart franchises with young cores. A Finals matchup that few predicted, but one that promises to deliver.

Tip-off for Game 1 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The world will be watching as two of the NBA’s rising stars battle for a chance to etch their names in history.

Let the Finals begin.