As the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to face each other in the NBA Finals, it's worth a moment to look back at how they each got there, through the lens of their respective roster construction.

Unsurprisingly, he will be out for at least the first two games of the NBA Finals, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said on 107.5 The Fan on Monday. Rick Carlisle on @MorningShow1075: Jarace Walker (ankle) will miss at least the first two games of the NBA Finals.

As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for the Indiana Pacers, the circus that typically surrounds the NBA Finals is brand new for most of the roster. Even Alex Caruso — the lone champion on their roster — had a unique experience in The Bubble.

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner beamed as they carried the Indiana Pacers shiny, new Eastern Conference championship trophy into their postgame news conferences Saturday night.

A star player from the Sacramento Kings helped build both teams playing in the NBA Finals though he didn't even make the playoffs.

Coach Rick Carlisle has led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals. He joined former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee.

A case certainly still can be made that the Dec. 15 trade that sent Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat to the Indiana Pacers remains a win-win proposition, even with Bryant now on to the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City. There’s a song stuck in my head as the 2025 NBA Finals near, and I’d be reluctant to reference it — it’s from “Annie, Get Your Gun” — if not for a new-millennium updating with none less than this league’s GOAT. Anything the Indiana Pacers can do, the Oklahoma City Thunder can do better.