T.J. McConnell and friends look to pull off the upset starting tonight in Oklahoma City.
We are coming down the home stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season. Somewhere between four and seven games remain before we can officially flip the league calendar over to this month’s draft and next month’s Summer League. For Philadelphia 76ers supporters, a fresh start can’t come soon enough. But first, let’s enjoy what should hopefully be an entertaining NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
The Thunder are the overwhelming favorites to emerge as champions, settling at around minus-650 or minus-700 at various sportsbooks to win the series. Around Philadelphia, sentiment has mostly formed around rooting for the underdog Pacers, in part because they play an entertaining up-tempo style and took down the rival Knicks, but also due to the presence of Timothy John McConnell. T.J. spent his first four NBA seasons as a Sixer and remains a beloved member of franchise lore, so seeing him complete the journey from undrafted player on the Summer Sixers to rotation player on an NBA champion would certainly be satisfying.
Still, Oklahoma City is a likable group as well, and many Sixers fans like to imagine the team would be in a similar situation to OKC if Sam Hinkie, like Thunder executive Sam Presti, had been allowed to marinate everything for a full decade without the league foisting a horde of Colangelos upon us. No judgment if you’re rooting for the Thunder to complete their own version of the Process with a title. Personally, I’m just hoping for some close games and the series to at least make it back to Indiana a second time. We’ll see how things unfold starting tonight.
NBA Finals Game 1 Details
When: Thursday, June 1, 8:30 pm ET
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Watch: ABC
Follow: @LibertyBallers