The Knicks got as close to reaching the NBA Finals as they have in a quarter century, but the league title once again will be decided without them.
While the Knicks sort out their coaching situation with the firing of Tom Thibodeau following their Eastern Conference finals loss to Indiana, the Pacers will square off with the rolling Thunder with both teams looking to be crowned as the champions for the first time in their respective cities.
(Note: The Thunder franchise did win it at all as the Seattle Supersonics in 1979, but this would mark their first title since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008).
Here are 10 storylines to follow beginning with Game 1 on Thursday night in OKC:
The Pacers joined the NBA in the 1976 merger with the ABA, and this only marks their second trip to the NBA Finals — and first since Reggie Miller & Co. lost in 2000 to the Lakers of Kobe, Shaq and Phil Jackson.
Indiana previously won three ABA titles in the 1970s.
The Thunder reached the championship round in 2012 led by young stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden before losing in five games to the Heat.
One of these cities is going to get a victory celebration for the first time.
All eyes will be on the scintillating matchup between two All-Star point guards, Knicks killer Tyrese Haliburton and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
SGA will look to become the first regular-season MVP to cop an NBA title in the same season since Stephen Curry pulled off the feat with the Warriors in 2015.
He is averaging 29.6 points per game during the Thunder’s 12-4 march through the Western Conference.
It’s much harder for anyone to chant “overrated” anymore at Haliburton after he has fronted his team to five playoff round victories in the past two years.
He leads the NBA in postseason assists (9.8), including 15 with no turnovers in his Game 4 triple-double against the Knicks.
A final four that also featured Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo with the Timberwolves has resulted in each finalist boasting a former Knick in a rotational role.
Former lottery pick Obi Toppin put up 18 points with three blocked shots to help extinguish the Knicks in Game 6.
Isaiah Hartenstein posted career-highs in points and rebounds in the first season after leaving the Knicks for a three-year, $87 million deal in free agency.
Whichever teams grabs the title will boast the youngest average age of any champion since the Lakers in 1980 (25.7).
The Thunder’s average age is 24.7 years, and the Pacers are not far behind at 26.2 The 1977 Trail Blazers hold the record since the NBA/ABA merger with an average age of 24.5 years.
Pascal Siakam, and not Haliburton, was named MVP of the Eastern Conference finals with 24.8 points per game against the Knicks. The three-time All-Star forward also owns a championship ring from the 2019 Raptors.
Third-year wing Jalen Williams — not to be confused with lesser-used teammate Jaylin Williams — provides OKC with viable No. 2 scoring option to Gilgeous-Alexander with 20.4 points per game in the playoffs, including 34 with six made 3-pointers in Game 4 against Minnesota.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011, could become only the fourth head coach in NBA history to win at least one ring with multiple franchises.
The 65-year-old Carlisle would join Alex Hannum (Hawks, 76ers), Pat Riley (Lakers, Heat) and Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers).
Only four teams in NBA history won more regular-season games than the 68 posted by Mark Daigneault’s Thunder this season.
While the Edmonton Oilers are trying to become the first Canadian-based NHL team to win a Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993, the Great White North will be well-represented in the NBA Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the seventh consecutive MVP winner born outside the United States.
Lockdown OKC defender Lu Dort also hails from Canada, as do Pacers teammates Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard.
Either way, this will be the fourth straight year at least one Canadian will be part of the title-winning squad.
begins on Thursday. NBAE via Getty Images
The most prominent pending unrestricted free agent on either side is longtime Indy big man Myles Turner, who is registering a league-best 2.3 blocked shots per game in the postseason among players with at least five appearances.
The 6-foot-11 Turner didn’t post any 20-point games against the Knicks after doing so four times in 10 games in the first two rounds against Milwaukee and Cleveland, but he’s shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range.
OKC big man Chet Holmgren is right behind Turner with 2.0 blocks per game in the playoffs.
Road teams have won plenty of games in this postseason, but OKC has won eight of nine at Paycom Center, with an average margin of victory of 24.6 points, including a 51-point blowout of Memphis in the first round.
The Pacers took the first two games at Madison Square Garden, after winning three times in Cleveland the previous round.
If Knicks fans thought Indy played at a frenetic race-track pace, the Thunder actually led the NBA in that advanced metric during the regular season with 100.9 possessions per 48 minutes of play, and they have been slightly better than the Pacers in that category in the playoffs, as well.
These two teams also lead the NBA in points off turnovers per game in the postseason, with the Thunder again holding the edge.
Get ready for Showtime in both directions.