NBA Finals begin with Thunder hosting underdog Pacers in battle of small markets

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver weighs in on the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers NBA Finals matchup and addresses whether having two small-market teams on the league’s biggest stage is good for the NBA.

The NBA Finals kick off on Thursday night in a battle of two small-market teams who have proven they belong.

The title will run through Oklahoma City, as the Thunder, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, play host to the Indiana Pacers.

OKC went 68-14 over the regular season with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, #2, drives to the basket beside Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, #0, during the second quarter at Paycom Center. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)

As for the Pacers, they are the heavy underdogs, having won 18 fewer games. However, their 50-32 record was good for fourth in the East.

Indiana is in its first Finals since 2000, and history repeated itself this year. Just like that team 25 years ago, they defeated the New York Knicks to get here. They had previously beaten their division rivals in the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in five and six games, respectively, before taking down New York in six contests.

It is a bit of a magic carpet ride for the Pacers, who have had miraculous comebacks this postseason. In nearly 1,500 playoff games since 1997, only four times has a team come back to win after trailing by seven-plus points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime – the Pacers have won three of those games this season alone. A win would be their first NBA title, but they did win three ABA championships in the early 1970s.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton,