The NBA Finals begin tomorrow, with a high-stakes clash between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. This is the Thunder’s first finals outing ever since they lost the 2012 season to the Miami Heat. For the Pacers, this will be their first time in the finals court following Reggie Miller’s time in 2000.
Putting both teams together, only four players have played a Finals game before. Out of these, only three have won championships. The swathe of fresh talent being pushed from both sides is bound to add more intrigue to what has already been an interesting matchup this time around.
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Players making NBA Finals debut for OKC
1) Shai-Gilgeous Alexander (PG)
2) Chet Holmgren (PF)
3) Aaron Wiggins (SG)
4) Jalen Williams (F)
5) Luguentz Dort (G)
6) Jaylin Williams (F)
7) Branden Carlson (C)
8) Ousmane Dieng (F)
9) Alex Ducas (G)
{{/usCountry}}9) Alex Ducas (G)
{{/usCountry}}10) Adam Flager (F)
11) Isaiah Hartenstein (C)
12) Isaiah Joe (SG)
13) Dillon Jones (F)
14) Ajay Mitchell (G)
15) Nikola Topic (G)
16) Cason Wallace (G)
17) Kenrich Williams (SF)
Already named as league MVP and the Western Conference Finals MVP for this season, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is making bounds and raising hopes for the Thunder’s victory. His stats from this season demonstrate an average of 29.8 points, 6.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. Luguentz Dort and SGA command the longest time with the Thunder since joining them in 2019. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were picked by the Thunder in the first round back in 2022.
Players making NBA Finals debut for Indiana Pacers
1) Tyrese Haliburton (PG)
2) Myles Turner (C)
3) Bennedict Mathurin (SG)
4) Obi Toppin (PF)
5) TJ McConnell (PG)
6) Andrew Nembhard (PG)
7) James Johnson (PF)
8) Tony Bradley (C)
9) RayJ Dennis (G)
10) Enrique Freeman (F)
11) John Furphy (F)
12) Isaiah Jackson (SF)
13) Quenton Jackson (G)
14) Ben Sheppard (G)
15) Jarace Walker (F)
With an 18.8 points average, 9.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, Tyrese Haliburton has grown over the persona attached with his game after being voted as the most overrated player in the league in a poll taken by The Athletic.
Who’s played and won before?
The Pacers have a clear edge over the Thunder when it comes to experienced players. Alex Caruso (Thunder) defeated the Heat in six during his time playing for the Lakers in 2020. Pascal Siakam (Pacers) won over the Warriors in six as part of the Raptors in 2019. Aaron Nesmith (Pacers) lost against the Warriors in six as a part of the Celtics in 2022. Thomas Bryant (Pacers) defeated the Heat in five with the Nuggets in 2023.
The match will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+ at 8:30 PM ET.
By Stuti Gupta