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The 2025 NBA Finals promises a captivating showdown between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Each team took a unique path to reach this stage, demonstrating different but effective strategies for building a championship contender.
As they gear up to compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, exploring their roster construction and playoff journeys offers valuable insight into modern NBA team-building philosophies. This series matches the Eastern Conference champions against the Western Conference powerhouse in a clash of elite talent and strategic execution.
Building the Pacer Way
The Indiana Pacers employed a deliberate and increasingly popular strategy focused on acquiring two max-level contract players supported by significant bench depth. Their roster construction, while sometimes involving significant moves, was characterized by a solid, often risk-averse approach.
The team aimed to move forward incrementally with each roster decision, staying aligned with their overall timeline. This philosophy extended to contract management, where they sought value even in larger deals.
Key Pacer Acquisitions
Neither of the Pacers’ primary stars, Tyrese Haliburton nor Pascal Siakam, was originally a draft selection by the franchise. Haliburton arrived via a trade from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.
This transaction provided Haliburton with space to explore a role as the primary player, a role he has fully embraced. His performance led to signing a max rookie extension after his third season, a move that, alongside the acquisition of Siakam, has significantly influenced the NBA betting lines for the Finals.
The Haliburton Deal – Context and Impact
Tyrese Haliburton’s contract extension reached the 30% maximum salary threshold after he earned All-NBA honors for the 2023–2024 season. Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam—an NBA champion with Toronto in 2019—became available as the Raptors shifted into a retooling phase. The Pacers seized the opportunity, acquiring Siakam without giving up a player of Domantas Sabonis’s caliber, marking a significant upgrade without a major sacrifice.
The trade that sent Domantas Sabonis to the Kings for Tyrese Haliburton was notable partly due to Haliburton being available despite his obvious talent. This was attributed to the Sacramento Kings already having De’Aaron Fox, which some observed as a potential hesitation by the Kings to pair multiple ball-handlers.
Securing Siakam – The Strategy
The acquisition of Pascal Siakam involved sacrificing draft equity instead of a current star player. The Pacers sent two first-round selections from 2024 and a 2026 first-rounder to Toronto. One of the 2024 picks was initially obtained from Oklahoma City in a previous trade.
To facilitate Siakam’s salary, the Pacers had strategically signed Bruce Brown months earlier to a substantial $45 million contract over two seasons. Brown’s outgoing $22 million salary, combined with other players’ contracts, enabled the Pacers to absorb Siakam’s deal and establish their foundational duo.
The Pacers’ Supporting Core
The Pacers already possessed significant talent before the arrival of Haliburton and Siakam. Myles Turner has been with the team for his entire decade-long professional career after being drafted 11th overall in 2015.
Turner has evolved into a more involved scorer over the past three years and is now a key 3-point shooting center and elite defender, often serving as the third or fourth scoring option. Other crucial core members were acquired without depleting the team’s future assets.
Aaron Nesmith became a high-level two-way starter after being acquired in a trade involving veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon shortly after the 2022 draft. Nesmith’s three-year, $33 million extension, signed in 2023, is considered one of the league’s best deals.
The Thunder’s Dominant Path
The Oklahoma City Thunder reached the Finals following a dominant regular season performance. They finished with the best record in the NBA and were overwhelmingly favored by experts to win the championship.
At the forefront of the Thunder’s success is their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Recognized as the league’s scoring champion, Gilgeous-Alexander was a dominant force throughout the season.
In matchups against Indiana during the regular season, he averaged 39 points while shooting an impressive 55.6% overall, 63.3% from three-point range, and 91.3% from the free-throw line. His elite scoring and leadership anchored an offense that was statistically comparable to Indiana’s high-scoring attack during the postseason, with OKC averaging 117.1 ppg and Indiana 117.4 ppg.
Paths Diverge, Finals Converge
While both teams reached the Finals, their paths were vastly different.
The Thunder dominated the regular season with 68 wins and an incredible 29-1 record against Eastern Conference teams. In the playoffs, they swept Memphis, edged Denver in seven games, and beat Minnesota in five to claim the West.
The Pacers faced tougher odds. After a 10-15 start, they surged with a 40-17 finish. In the playoffs, they upset Milwaukee and top-seeded Cleveland in five games each, then knocked out the Knicks to win the East.
Different roads, same goal—both teams bring intensity that promises a thrilling series for fans and bettors alike.
