It’s pretty hard to look at the fact that they had the best regular season record by a landslide in a tough Western Conference Finals and league overall, and then turn around and try to spin it another way. The fact is despite earning the top seed last season, they had obvious weaknesses that proved to be their demise. They addressed those weaknesses in the offseason with the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, and now they’re champions. Besides, I think like most Spurs fans who had to endure all the “asterisk” talk back in the day, I’m not in the business of diminishing accomplishments with “yeah but...”. (In this case, people will moan about their opponents being injured.)

They were the best, but the competitive nature of the finals and their series against the Nuggets may cloud the undeniable nature of it a bit. With Haliburton’s unfortunate injury, we’ll never know if the Pacers could have pulled off the upset at full strength. Injuries are part of the game, but you hate to see it ruin what had been an almost perfect series to that point.

They were the best. Their regular season record showed they had the depth to deal with injuries, and they managed to get over 60 wins while managing the minutes they were giving to Caruso. They did catch some breaks, but they didn’t only get past the Nuggets and beat the Pacers because of health issues. The fact that they had scares and didn’t look as dominant as people expected hurts the perception of their run, but they were the best. No asterisks on titles, ever.

It’s certainly possible, although there’s no way of knowing for sure. The Pacers admirably had the lead through halftime and never let the Thunder truly put them away, but regardless of having Haliburton or not, winning Game 7 on the road in the NBA Finals is a Herculean task. If any team had the will and power of the basketball gods behind them to make it happen this season, it was the Pacers, but they just finally ran out of magic.

Unknown. The huge run by the Thunder where they shut down the Pacers from the last part of the third to halfway through the fourth seemed pretty unstoppable, but they might have been able to survive it with a healthy Tyrese. I really wanted to see a game where Haliburton had the ball in his hands with a chance to win or tie at the final possession. I wouldn’t have even been unhappy if he missed the shot, because that moment would have been great, however it came out. But not everything always plays out the way you would like. The backup players made a valiant effort, but McConnell, while he had an excellent second half, couldn’t elevate the rest of the team like Haliburton does, and critical turnovers doomed the short-handed Pacers. It was a great series, but I’ll always wonder how it could have been.

It’s such an interesting hypothetical. Haliburton was playing great. The shaky start to the third was partially caused by guys who wouldn’t have handled the ball if the star guard had been on the court. Hali was limited by his injury even before the Achilles tear, but he gave them an identity, and while others tried to step up, they couldn’t replace what he brought to the table. I still think the Thunder would have won, but it would have been a very different, likely much more entertaining game.

There won’t be a rematch next season if Haliburton’s Achilles is truly torn and he’s out for a year. The East is wide open for the taking (I’d favor the Knicks if they weren’t so idiotic with the firing of Thibs). The second part is certainly possible as this Thunder team has positioned itself to be a juggernaut for years to come, assuming their stars are as unselfish as the Spurs' Big Three were back in the day. Still, like everyone else, they’re just one injury away from a ruined season, and you never know what will happen in the Wild Wild West.

I think the Pacers were on a magical run, and I don’t see that run happening again next year unless Haliburton recovers faster than expected and they add at least one more star. They will also need to find a way to retain Myles Turner, who is a free agent this offseason. They can have a decent team by building around Pascal Siakam, with Nembhard and Nesmith as supporting cast, but that’s not good enough to be a contender.

The Thunder have the best talent in the league and depth for days. They have Hartenstein under contract for two more years, and the double big lineup of him and Holmgren is going to be tough to contend with for at least that long. Their weakness was experience, and with winning a title, that’s no longer a problem. Their biggest issues going forward will be the health of their stars and not busting their salary cap as players age out of rookie contracts. Every other good team contends with those same problems, so it’s just going to take some excellent roster management and a little luck to get past them in the West for the foreseeable future, which is 2-4 years in the NBA.

The dream of a rematch evaporated with Haliburton’s injury. The East should be wide open next year, but the Pacers without Tyrese would be a long shot to be the last team standing. Because the East, at least right now, looks weak, the main obstacle between the Thunder and a repeat seems to be the gauntlet that should be the West next year. Even with improved opponents in their conference, OKC should be the favorite to advance to the Finals, and I can see them repeating if they stay healthy.