The Pacers’ rocky road to the NBA Finals just got bumpier
Severe weather threw a wrench in the Indiana Pacers‘ travel plans Tuesday as they headed to their first NBA Finals in 25 years. Their charter flight was forced to divert to Tulsa before eventually landing in Oklahoma City – almost four hours behind schedule.
Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted airport operations, causing the unexpected detour.
Both teams are set to appear at NBA Finals media day Wednesday, with Game 1 tipping off Thursday evening.
This marks Indiana’s first Finals appearance since 2000 and Oklahoma City’s first in 13 years.
“You spend so much time thinking about getting there, but it’s like, you’re here now,” Pacers center Myles Turner said before leaving Indianapolis. “You didn’t really spend a lot of time thinking about, ‘OK, when I’m here, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ It’s like, ‘Let’s just get there.’ So now, that milestone has been achieved. It’s about doing something with the opportunity.”
The Pacers have waited a quarter-century for this moment.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam led the charge in Saturday night’s decisive Game 6 victory over the New York Knicks, clinching the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2.
Siakam dominated with 31 points while Haliburton came up clutch, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. The home crowd erupted as Indiana secured the 125-108 win.
This is just the second Finals appearance in franchise history.
“Pascal and Tyrese put us on their backs and made sure we would not lose,” coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “But our work has just begun.”
Siakam’s outstanding performance earned him the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP.
Haliburton wasn’t just scoring – he dished out 13 assists to keep the offense flowing. Former Knick Obi Toppin also stepped up big against his old team, contributing 18 points and 6 rebounds.
The Finals showdown against the Thunder begins Thursday night, with both teams looking to end long championship droughts.
