Pacers Thunder Finals! Harry PK Alexander: Who will win the first meeting in the playoffs?

On June 1, Beijing time, the Pacers defeated the Knicks at home and advanced to the finals with a total score of 4-2 and met the Thunder. Haliburton and Alexander, the two core defenders, will face off, who can lift the championship trophy for the first time in their careers?

The Pacers' 58-year history (49 years NBA+9 years of ABA) has won a total of 3 championships, but all of them were in the ABA period. The last time they won the championship was in the 1972-73 season, when they completed the feat of three crowns in four years in the ABA. However, the Pacers who entered the NBA era have never lifted the championship trophy, and the closest they came to winning the championship was in 2000, when the team reached the Finals, but lost 2-4 to the Lakers led by O'Neal and Kobe.

The Thunder are also in 58-year team history, winning a total of 1 championships, but it was still during the Seattle SuperSonics. That win came in the 1978-79 season, followed by another Finals in the 1995-96 season, but lost to Jordan's Bulls. For the 2008-09 season, SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City and changed their name to the Thunder. In the 2011-12 season, the Thunder reached the Finals, and the team led by Durant, Westbrook and Harden lost 1-4 to the Heat led by James, Wade and Bosh.

The Pacers and Thunder have never met in the playoffs before, and this Finals meeting is the first time the two teams have faced each other in the playoffs. The two teams have met 101 times in regular season history, with the Pacers going 46-55. Among them, the Pacers were 18-15 during the Thunder period, and the Pacers were 28-40 during the SuperSonics period.

Alexander and Haliburton have faced each other six times in their careers so far, with Alexander holding a 4-2 advantage. In these six games, Alexander averaged 33.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, shooting 47.2% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 85% from the free throw line. Haliburton averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.

Previously, the American media had analyzed the potential matchup between the Thunder vs Pacers -

On the one hand, the Thunder's advantage lies in Alexander's individual ability, winning both games against the Pacers this season, averaging 39 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds per game. In addition, the Thunder's impact basket is a great threat, with the league's second-highest average break-through and interior points per game, and the Pacers' ability to protect the basket is worrying.

The Pacers have fewer turnovers per game, and the league's fewest points per game due to turnovers, and using opponents to score is the Thunder's strength. In addition, the Pacers are also significantly stronger than the Thunder when it comes to three-point shooting, and they have the highest three-point shooting percentage in the league in the playoffs.

Thunder or Pacers, who will be the NBA champions in the 2024-25 season? Everyone is welcome to leave a message to express their opinions.

With the schedule of the finals (Beijing time)——

June 6th 8:30 Finals G1 Thunder home

June 9th 8:00 Finals G2 Thunder home

June 12, 8:30 Finals G3 Pacers home

June 14, 8:30 Finals G4 Pacers home

June 17, 8:30 Finals G5 (if needed) Thunder home

June 20, 8:30 Finals G6 (if needed) Pacers home

June 23, 8:00 Finals G7 (if needed) Thunder home