The NBA Finals are set: It's the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers clinched their trip with a win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Media day in Oklahoma City is Wednesday. Game 1 of the finals is Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder swept the two head-to-head meetings between the clubs this season.
Recapping the OKC-Indiana series
— Dec. 26: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 45 points and the Thunder erase an early double-digit deficit, pulling away in the second half to beat the Pacers 120-114. Andrew Nembhard scores 23 for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton is held to four points.
— March 29: Gilgeous-Alexander scores 33 and the Thunder win 132-111. Haliburton leads the Pacers with 18, and both teams have six players finish in double figures.
Stories of note
— Two teams, two paths, one destination
— The Pacers are snakebitten no more
SGA is the MVP
A recap of Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s winning of the NBA MVP award.
The story: Gilgeous-Alexander tops Jokic for MVP award
The reaction: SGA tears up when talking about his wife
Steve Nash speaks: Canada’s 1st MVP thrilled to see SGA follow him
The notebook: Jokic finishes top-2 again, Giannis’ streak ends, LeBron gets votes
Betting odds
Oklahoma City (-700) is a big favorite to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Indiana's odds are set at +500.
The Thunder are an early 9.5-point favorite over Indiana for Game 1. The most likely series outcome, according to BetMGM's odds, is Thunder in five games (+200).
NBA Finals schedule
All games of the NBA Finals will be aired on ABC.
Thursday — Game 1, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT
Sunday — Game 2, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EDT
June 11 — Game 3, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 13 — Game 4, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 16 — Game 5, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 19 — Game 6, Oklahoma City at Indiana, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 22 — Game 7, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8 p.m. EDT
(And good news: No NBA Finals games conflict with Stanley Cup Final dates!)
Key upcoming events
June 25 — NBA draft, first round.
June 26 — NBA draft, second round.
Stats of the day
— Among coaches with at least 25 games in the NBA playoffs, Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault (18-8, .692) has the best all-time record. For now, he's just ahead of Phil Jackson (229-104, .688 with Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers).
— If the Pacers win one game in the finals, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle will become just the 25th coach in NBA history with five career finals game wins. If the Pacers win two, Carlisle will be the 22nd coach with six wins. If the Pacers win three, Carlisle becomes the 21st coach with that many. And if the Pacers win the title, Carlisle will be the 17th coach with eight finals game wins.
Quote of the day
“Pace." — Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, when asked for his first thought about the Pacers.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
The Associated Press
