It’s pretty clear that the Oklahoma City Thunder have been playing outstanding basketball since the very start of the NBA season.

But since the start of January, the Indiana Pacers have been right there with them. 

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he realizes all that as the teams get set to clash in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday in OKC.

“We have a lot of respect for them from afar,” Daigneault said, via Joel Lorenzi of the Oklahoman. “The program they’ve built, the way that they play, the identity they’ve built on the court, the way their guys play together. The whole is better than the sum of the parts with their team, which I think is the sign of a good team.”

Like the Thunder, the Pacers have a dynamic starting five that just fit — Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. Throw in some great depth and a top-notch coach in Rick Carlisle, and it’s safe to say the teams mirror each other. That’s especially the case when you throw in their style of play.

Both seem to flourish when things get more physical. Both can speed you up or slow you down. When you get this far, you tend to win in any number of ways.

“They’re feeling the exact same way we feel,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said. “They’ve had to win three series, we’ve had to win three series. So they’re coming in extremely confident.” 

As for style of play … yes, Daigneault notices that, too.

“The way they defend contributes to their team identity,” he said. “It’s not just offense. Their defensive philosophy is very much aligned with their offensive philosophy. So it creates a certain air to the game when you play against them that is difficult to play against. 

“They play the same way in January as they do in May. They play the same way up 20 as they do down 20. They’ve got unbelievable integrity in the way that they do things.”