Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals Game Thread

[Nowoco]

it's a copy cat league, if the pacers manage to beat OKC, other teams will use them as a blueprint to emulate. team oriented ball with 110% effort over having an mvp guard that hunts for fouls. it's fundamentals vs exploiting offensive rules. that's been the trend for a few years now since the league kept relaxing the offensive rules. what was once a travel isn't a travel anymore and creating contact by launching your body into a defender is an immediate trip to the free throw line (shai).

Not buying this at all. There's going to be 7 different winners in 7 years, all very different teams playing different ways.

The Pacers have struck lightning in a bottle this year, getting hot at the right time and their confidence has increased with every series. I don't think this is a blueprint for anything or starting a trend. It starts and ends this season. They'll be a different winner next season. Likely OKC if they continue to choke this away.

[Proctor]

They're the most fun I have had watching a team since the 2014 Spurs

So refreshing to see

Same

[highwhey]

How so?

Not buying this at all. There's going to be 7 different winners in 7 years, all very different teams playing different ways.

The Pacers have struck lightning in a bottle this year, getting hot at the right time and their confidence has increased with every series. I don't think this is a blueprint for anything or starting a trend. It starts and ends this season. They'll be a different winner next season. Likely OKC if they continue to choke this away.

Maybe. or Maybe they have an injury and Boston implodes so the path becomes wide open again. Regardless, they are showing you don't need a superstar/mvp to make the finals.

[SouBeachTalents]

Maybe. or Maybe they have an injury and Boston implodes so the path becomes wide open again. Regardless, they are showing you don't need a superstar/mvp to make the finals.

It's still very rare though, Indy is for sure an outlier in that regard. The only teams that made the Finals without a legitimate "superstar" the last decade were the Celtics & Suns, and the Celtics were stacked with high end talent. I would say 90-95% of the time a team with a top 5 player wins the title.

[highwhey]

It's still very rare though, Indy is for sure an outlier in that regard. The only teams that made the Finals without a legitimate "superstar" the last decade were the Celtics & Suns, and the Celtics were stacked with high end talent. I would say 90-95% of the time a team with a top 5 player wins the title.

which shows a trend right? it means, it happening more often than before. why is that? because having a top 5 player doesn't hold the same value it once did unless you're talking about a truly generational player (lebron, jokic, curry). between injuries and how lax the offensive rules are, and the recent influx of overall talent, it's a more level playing field than ever before. i was thinking how booker was once a really good offensive player...now there's quite a few players equally or better than him offensively. the floor has been raised.

[Gudo]

Both teams are playing topnotch basketball and I have enjoyed watching the finals to far. Sad that it's not getting the attention that it should.

[highwhey]

the market for players like Tj and Caruso is definitely going to spike though.

[Phoenix]

This is shaping up to be an interesting period for the league. Typically the best player/two players account for the majority of titles over a decade, but we're back to the 70s with a new champ every year. Jokic is generally considered the best right now, but he could end up with one title when it's all said and done( ditto for someone like Giannis). Still lots of time left in their careers, obviously...

[highwhey]

This is shaping up to be an interesting period for the league. Typically the best player/two players account for the majority of titles over a decade, but we're back to the 70s with a new champ every year. Jokic is generally considered the best right now, but he could end up with one title when it's all said and done( ditto for someone like Giannis). Still lots of time left in their careers, obviously...

giannis title is fraudulent. there's a reason he isn't even in the mix nor has been since winning that title. he's a manufactured star unlike jokic or lebron.

[Phoenix]

giannis title is fraudulent. there's a reason he isn't even in the mix nor has been since winning that title. he's a manufactured star unlike jokic or lebron.

Even if you want to make that case, who else is winning in 2022? The Nets or Suns? The same basic logic applies as far as one-off champs go.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Of course Giannis title is legit, that was a dominant a run as your going to see. Saying otherwise it's just hater talk. He was a great player and he played great, whether you like him or not. It's a special class of dominant where the only way to consistently stop a guy is to hope he misses free throws. The guys on that list are just Wilt, Shaq and now Giannis.

[Lakers Legend#32]

America hates the Thunder.

[tpols]

Of course Giannis title is legit, that was a dominant a run as your going to see. Saying otherwise it's just hater talk. He was a great player and he played great, whether you like him or not. It's a special class of dominant where the only way to consistently stop a guy is to hope he misses free throws. The guys on that list are just Wilt, Shaq and now Giannis.

Siakam has already vanquished Giannis in the playoffs this year. And was the Eastern Conference Playoff MVP.

Let's stay on topic. We need to discuss current events.

Now go back under your rock you c0ck-a-roach.

[ArbitraryWater]

which shows a trend right? it means, it happening more often than before. why is that? because having a top 5 player doesn't hold the same value it once did unless you're talking about a truly generational player (lebron, jokic, curry). between injuries and how lax the offensive rules are, and the recent influx of overall talent, it's a more level playing field than ever before. i was thinking how booker was once a really good offensive player...now there's quite a few players equally or better than him offensively. the floor has been raised.

I noticed it for a couple years now, but having a top 5 player no longer means as much...

it seems like a superstars impact on the game is limited to what it was before.

A lower scoring game, lower paced game means the impact of 1 player is bigger.

Now the game is faster, spread out, higher paced and higher scoring, with more long range scoring / votality(thats not a word what word am I looking for? similar to variance), and there is a lot more in place to curb the impact of 1 individual. The game can just go by 1 player.

SGA imo could go scoreless 1 game and OKC could feasibly win.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Siakam has already vanquished Giannis in the playoffs this year. And was the Eastern Conference Playoff MVP.

You want attention for saying stupid shit. It's gotten extremely boring.