NBA Finals Preview 🏀 Tim Legler can’t think of a better offensive matchup for OKC than the Pacers 👀

NBA Finals Preview 🏀 Tim Legler can’t think of a better offensive matchup for OKC than the Pacers 👀

All right, so six degrees of Paul George. Our NBA analyst Tim Leggler joins the show now. Legs, this is going to be fun. Both of these teams like to get up and down the floor. Go, go, go up tempo. Of course, Oklahoma City can clamp you down on the other end as well. So, how do they go about neutralizing the Pacers offense or at least making them throttle back a little bit? Well, you know, David, first of all, Oklahoma City is a team that that actually can get up and down pretty good themselves. They got a pretty potent offense. That’s why you win 68 games. But to me, this series is so fascinating because you’re talking about not only the best defense in the league, you’re talking about really a historically great defense going up against this highpowered Pacers offense uh that is that is firing on all cylinders obviously the way they’ve played over the last few months and so to this point in the playoffs. Now, here’s what it comes down to. The ball pressure from Oklahoma City. This is going to be something different for Indiana. They’re not used to seeing their guys picked up 70 75 ft up the floor. The amount of foot speed that Oklahoma City hits you with. Uh the versatility, the number of elite on ball defenders. And then by the way, David, if you get by those guys on the perimeter, all you have waiting on you is Chad Homegrren at the rim. So, this is going to be a very difficult task uh to try to go up against this defense. But I can’t think right now in the league of a better offense to try to figure this out than the Indiana Pacers. Absolutely. OKC number one in opponent field goal percentage in both the regular and postseason. The Pacers legs are the underdogs. They’re plus 500. What’s the biggest obstacle they’re facing in this finals? Well, listen, here’s what it comes down to for them that their two best players have to be great. Tyrese Allebert and Pascal Seakum, they’re two guys that are going to have to be as good as they possibly can. And it doesn’t mean you’re going to play great every night in a series, but you really can’t have more than one quiet night for either of those guys. They have to be loud. We have to notice them. We have to be talking about them a lot. And then I think you’re going to have to figure out a way cuz they’re very deep, the Pacers. Can you match the depth of Oklahoma City? Because that is something we have raved about all year with the Thunder. The number of guys that Mark Dagnal is comfortable playing. the number of guys that contribute offensively on a given night, obviously built around Shay Gilis Alexander. Can Indiana’s bench match that? Their bench has been sensational in the postseason. So, that’s another fascinating component to this because few benches can match the output of OKC. You said sensational. The Pacers bench shooting 49% best of any team this postseason. It should be all sorts of fun. like for some graduate level analysis as we get you mentally prepared for the start of the finals which goes on Thursday. Let’s buckle up and get ready. Overrate that. NBA finals coming in hot. Pacers underdog once again and the Thunder who have dominated the postseason unlike any other start their championship series on Thursday. But let’s rewind the clock a little bit. Pacers and Thunder faced off twice in the regular season. And on December 26th, first matchup, Pacers came out strong. 10 run to start the game, led by as many as 15 in the first half. But SGA and the Thunder would not go quietly into that good night. Tied his career high at SJ with 45 at the time. He would beat that number, by the way, later that month with a 54-point effort. It was a quiet night for Tyrese Halleberger, who finished with four. The Thunder would win at 120 to 114. And then later on in the season, March 29th to be specific, this time out there at OKC. Thunder in control for most of the game. Now, Hallebertton had a better night. 18 points, 50% from the field, but they couldn’t keep up with that OKC offense. The Thunder shot nearly 50% from three-point range. Big shooting nights from Lou Gorton, Isaiah Joe. SJ added 33 of his own. Thunder go on to win by 21. 132 to 111. part of their 11game win streak, a two-game sweep of the series. We’ll see what happens in the finals, though. Uh, the Thunder and Pacers average a combined age of 26.3 when weighted by playing time in the playoffs. That is the second youngest average age for an NBA Finals in the shot clock era since 1955 and the youngest since 77 between the Blazers and 76ers. ESPN NBA analyst Tim Leggler joining us here on Sports Center. With the Larry O’Brien trophy on the line, NBA finals getting cracking later on this week. We have no choice but to keep the main thing the main thing. So legs, beginning with the Thunder, what’s the biggest and first point of emphasis for them. You know, this is going to be a fascinating series. And look, I don’t want to slight Oklahoma City’s offense because you don’t win 68 games unless you’re great on both ends of the floor. But the reality is this. This series is fascinating because you have Oklahoma City’s defense, which is not only the best in the league, it’s historically great going up against this high-powered Indiana Pacers offense that also has been historically great, particularly over the last few months and certainly through the first three rounds of the postseason. So the question is, can all that ball pressure, all that foot speed that Oklahoma City has, the number of top shelf perimeter on ball defenders, can that be enough to slow down this Pacers engine, particularly Ty Tyresese Hallebertton and the tempo that he represents? That’s what I’m dying to see. And by the way, if you happen to get by that perimeter defense for OKC, all you got waiting on you is Chad Hongren at the rim. one of the best rim deterrents we have in this league. So, this is going to be really the battle of a great defense versus an offense firing on all cylinders. And within the Thunder, the schematic creativity that Dagnall has shown in each and every round, it’s been impressive to say the least. OKC ranked number one in opposing field goal percentage that feels part of their DNA at this point, as does the underdog nature for the Indiana Pacers. Another series in which they are the underdog plus 500 in this finals round. Tim, what can they do? What’s their main thing that they got to keep in the main focus? Well, it may seem like an obvious statement to say they’re great. Their best players need to be great, but look, specifically Tyres Hallebert and Pascal Seak. And what I mean by that in this series, Tyresese Hallebertton has to be that motor and he’s going to get fullcourt pressure like he has not seen all year trying to impede his forward progress. That’s what it’s all about with him. So, he has to be able to figure out how to still play at his tempo against this level defense. So, they’re going to adjust by putting some screens in the back court and whatnot. And Seakum’s got to win matchups against smaller guys. The other component is the bench. Indiana’s bench has been sensational in the postseason, but we praise OKC about their depth all year long. So, this is going to be a situation where every night we’re going to look at those box scores and bench scoring, which some nights can be misleading because of the opportunities that one bench gets relative to another. In this series, the minutes are going to be similar. The production is what we’re going to be looking at. Indiana Pacers bench has to come up big. That second unit shooting 49% this postseason. That’s the best of anybody that’s had a seat at the playoff table. Tim Leer dropping by to drop some knowledge. Appreciate you, man.

Tim Legler joins SportsCenter to preview the 2025 NBA Finals matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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