Starting 5, June 3: Inside OKC & Indiana's elite roster depth | NBA.com
days until Game 1 of the NBA Finals?
has your answer:
June 3, 2025
How the Thunder’s bench boosts their historic defense
Inside Indy’s balanced attack and what makes it so dangerous
A young coach, a young core and their evolution as one
Rick Carlisle’s journey back to the NBA Finals
Mitch Richmond’s Final(s) shot – 14 years in the making
Just two more sleeps…
presented by YouTube TV tips off Thursday (8:30 ET, ABC) as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder host Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers in OKC.
: Go inside the Kia MVP’s campaign in the season finale of Pass The Rock, including a look at how after getting cut from his ninth-grade basketball team, Gilgeous-Alexander used that as fuel to motivate him to become one of the league’s best.
Coming today in the NBA App, get an all-access pass to the Conference Finals, as the Pacers and Thunder punched their ticket to the NBA Finals. Includes a special look at the journeys of OKC’s defensive stopper Alex Caruso and Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, the ECF Finals MVP. Narrated by Jamal Crawford.
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Tyrese Haliburton. Jalen Williams. Pascal Siakam. Chet Holmgren.
of this year’s Finals, but what’s driven both the Thunder and Pacers to the doorstep of a title isn’t just their top talent – it’s their depth.
utilizes its bench reflects its identity – starting with OKC’s relentless defense.
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They multiply. Seven of the top 10 players in DefRtg this postseason are Thunder, including their entire starting 5 of SGA, Williams, Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort.
What makes OKC’s defense devastating isn’t just the depth — it’s that a drop-off doesn’t exist. There’s no reset when the reserves enter. Just more disruption for opponents to solve.
Cohesion and a total commitment to making winning plays — no matter who’s on the floor.
OKC walls off Anthony Edwards’ drive but sends two to the corner, leaving him open off-ball. Caruso recognizes the over-rotation and works back to contest, leading to a miss. Wallace then sells out for the board, tipping the ball off Nickeil Alexander-Walker for possession.
said SGA on Monday. “But above all we prioritize winning and enjoy each other’s company … It’s just the personnel of this basketball team.”
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Indiana thrives by playing as one. But where the Thunder overwhelm opponents with collective defense — creating opportunities for the Thunder’s also-elite offense — the Pacers’ signature has been their flowing offensive harmony.
has entered historic territory, as Indy is just the third team ever to make the Finals averaging 115+ ppg in the Playoffs without a single scorer averaging more than 22.
94-feet with Indy: Zero dribbles. Three passes. Two points.
While Siakam leads Indy in scoring and Haliburton sets the tempo, the Pacers’ offense ticks like a finely tuned watch — every player a gear in motion, each essential to making it go. The result? An attack that doesn’t just run, but flows.
of selflessness and shotmaking has produced scoring from every corner.
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Like Haliburton, Indy’s role players have delivered in big-time spots – most recently in the East Finals, where the Pacers needed a total team effort to knock off the Knicks.
Indy will face another team loaded with depth – with the NBA title on the line.
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a vibrant 24-year-old center named Bill Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first NBA title.
was just 25.03, making them the youngest team in the shot clock era to reach the Finals.
The 2025 Thunder, with an average age of 25.60.
himself is just 40 years old, making him the third-youngest active coach in the NBA.
he’s grown into this moment.
in 2014 and spent five seasons leading its G League affiliate team before being named the Thunder’s head coach in 2020.
OKC has taken off – increasing its win total each year, capped by back-to-back historic seasons.
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take on the personality of their head coach. With Daigneault at the helm, that means playing with an edge and disciplined aggression.
with OKC’s young energy, which shines every night from blanketing opponents to ‘toweling’ interviewers after wins – a tradition that wrapped Daigneault up after winning the West Finals.
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owns the 11th-most victories in NBA history (993), topping the win count for the Dallas Mavericks (555) and trailing only Slick Leonard for Indy (338).
Rick Carlisle has evolved from one of the game’s preeminent defensive minds to an offensive maestro.
He played five seasons in the Association, winning the 1986 NBA title with the Celtics, then climbed his way through the assistant ranks to become a head coach for the first time in 2001 with the Pistons.
in 2003, serving as Indy’s head coach for four four seasons, which included a trip to the East Finals in 2004.
in Dallas in 2008, guiding the Mavs to the 2011 NBA title, as they knocked off the Heat in six games.
in 2021, perfecting a free-flowing offense around Haliburton and Siakam.
Carlisle is now the 10th coach to lead two NBA franchises to the Finals. With four more wins, he’d become the first to lead two teams to their first-ever championships.
- is to lead and to teach, NBA head coaching is the ultimate crucible,” Carlisle said earlier this season, reflecting on his career
- “At times, my teams have been at the forefront of evolution. At times, we’ve had to adjust with the game. But one thing you learn is you must be open to change.”
