They weren't supposed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. They weren't supposed to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. They weren't supposed to beat the New York Knicks for the Eastern Conference Championship.
Yet, the Indiana Pacers are in the 2024/25 NBA Finals and could shock the world yet again by taking down the best team in the league, the OKC Thunder. At this point, what the Pacers were supposed to be is a moot point. While they had a rough start to the season, the team found a different gear after Christmas.
No one seemed to notice because the championship conversation was fixed on the Cavs, the Thunder, and a potential repeat for the Celtics. The Pacers changed the narrative with three incredible playoff series that silenced the critics.
More than that, these playoff losses to an Indiana team with a deep bench, gritty starting five, and a supposedly "overrated" star is causing the former contenders to reconsider their own rosters. Trade rumors are in the wind, and after a season that saw Mavericks' franchise star Luka Doncic get traded to the Lakers mid season, fans know everything is on the table and every name is on the trade board.
The Pacers can pull off possibly the biggest NBA off-season ever
If even ten percent of the rumored major trades happen over the summer, this could be the most insane off-season NBA fans and pundits have seen. There is a veritable who's who of big names filling rumor mills. That includes a few centers, which should make the Lakers happy, assuming they don't botch the trade by picking the wrong name or giving up too much.
Some of these potential trades are being fueled by unexpected playoff losses to the Pacers, a team everyone in the Eastern Conference thought they had on lock. There is talk of Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving the Bucks. The Cavs may be looking to move Darius Garland and/or Jarrett Allen. There are even rumors that the Knicks are looking to part ways with KAT after one season.
All of this is a direct result of the Pacers bouncing these teams from the 2024/25 Playoffs. All three franchises are tired of not getting to the show and thought they finally had rosters in place to make it happen. Well, except for the Bucks. They had to know that Giannis and an occasionally healthy Damian Lillard wasn't enough to win a title.
Fans have already seen evidence of the Pacers' post-season heroics in action in the finals. Despite leading the Knicks to their greatest success in decades, now former head coach Tom Thibodeau was quickly fired after their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Pacers. If there's one thing Knicks fans hate, it's losing to Indiana.
Big trades don't always equal positive change
Naturally, there's more to these potential trades and Thib's firing than simply losing to the Pacers in the playoffs. At the same time, these losses, and in some cases upsets, to the Pacers were no doubt catalysts for some big questions being asked. And those questions are coming from players as well as the franchises as they're tired to losing, too.
While current reports indicate Giannis is likely staying in Milwaukee, there are also strong indicators that he might be looking for a move to the Toronto Raptors. If true, this is all fueled by his own dissatisfaction with the Bucks' inability to build a better team around him. Apparently, trading for Kyle Kuzma didn't get the job done. Who could have possibly seen that coming?
The concerns faced by these teams were not created by losing to the Pacers in the playoffs. That being said, those concerns were certainly exacerbated by losses to a franchise all of them thought they had in the bag before their respective series even started. Now, it's time to see if OKC will suffer from the same hubris leading to similar existential questions.
Can the Thunder get the job done?
The Oklahoma City Thunder ended the regular season in a dominant fashion with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses. They utterly annihilated the Western Conference and anyone from the Eastern Conference who stepped up. This is team with a roster loaded with talented young guns who consistently display a level of poise and confidence well beyond their years.
Yet, the Pacers walked into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the Thunder's home court and won with a now typical buzzer beater from Tyrese Haliburton. OKC came back in Game 2 to pick up the win and tie the series. At this point, fans expect the unexpected from the Pacers and know that they could pull out another perceived upset. The question is if OKC also gets that.
Given their record and their season of dominance, it would be easy for OKC to overlook the Pacers and not take them seriously. Again, this is a team no one expected to be in the finals. The mere fact that the Pacers are there means they have what it takes to win a title. If they do win, there is also real potential that OKC will start questioning things and make similar moves to other Pacers' victims.
Right now, no one knows who's going to win the title or if any of these potential trades will happen. What is undeniable is the impact of the Pacers on the NBA's 2024/25 postseason and the league in general. Teams, especially the ones the Pacers have faced in the playoffs, are questioning everything. Hopefully, any moves that happen will make that team stronger contenders for 2025/26.