Fear never apologizes. It waits quietly, then shows up loud and proud — inside arenas, in one’s heart, and sometimes, in the eyes of a would-be champion. In the NBA, that’s often what separates a true champion from just a contender. With the 2025 NBA Finals fast approaching, two so-called “small market” teams are confronting not just the pressure from fans and media, but perhaps even the fears lingering within their own organizations.
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Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently spoke about the scariest part of facing the Indiana Pacers in the upcoming Finals. In his typically calm and composed tone, the Canadian didn’t shy away from answering questions head-on.
“The fact that they’re here. No matter what your route is, no matter who’s on your team to get this far in the NBA playoffs, you have to be a really good team,” he explained to ESPN before a slight pause just long enough to let the weight of that statement settle into the room.
As the OKC Thunder return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, fear surrounds them. Not fear of failure. Not of pressure. But fear of what stands across from them — the Indiana Pacers.
“Every team’s going to have their strengths and their weaknesses, and they’re going to go about the game differently. But to get to this point, you have to be a really good team, and that in itself is strong enough,” Gilgeous-Alexander added.
The Pacers didn’t slip into these Finals by luck. The underdog team, led by the so-called overrated player and a former G-League MVP, fought its way through the Eastern Conference minefield.
Indiana had to knock off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, then stunned the Cavaliers, before outlasting Jalen Brunson’s Knicks (and their fanbase) in a six-game thriller.
Each time they won, some called it a fluke. Others said their run wouldn’t last. Then they won again. And again. And now — here they are.
During an NBA Finals media day press conference, Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged this fact while explaining what makes the Pacers so great, using several baseball analogies to drive his point home.
“It’s one thing to understand what they’re doing and one thing to understand what you need to do. It’s quite another to execute it, and that’s what makes them really hard to play against. They pump a 99 MPH fastball at you, and you can prepare all you want for that, but when you’re in the batter’s box, it’s different when it’s time to hit it, so it’s going to be a very tall challenge.“
Tyrese Haliburton runs the show. He is everywhere — and OKC knows it. He averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 assists in the playoffs. But his poise is what gives Indiana its true advantage.
OKC knows better than to look past Indiana. The Pacers’ chemistry and their offense terrifies opponents. Daigneault won’t abandon the defense that got them here. But he should be malleable enough not to stick with the same plan, either (A la New York Knicks’ now former head coach, Tom Thibodeau). He’ll need to tweak and change, just like Indiana forces you to. That’s what earned them this stage.
The Thunder need that same sharpness now. They didn’t win the West by accident — they beat experienced teams with grit. Gilgeous-Alexander has been relentless, averaging 31.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.2 rebounds throughout this playoff run. He’s hunted every moment.
But numbers don’t win titles. Execution under pressure does. Especially when the other team doesn’t blink either. That’s what fear does — it doesn’t just warn you, it tests whether you truly want everything you say you want.
This series won’t be decided by hype. It will come down to who executes when panic sets in, and which team seizes the advantage.
The Pacers know how to survive. The Thunder know how to strike. That’s what makes this war — the 2025 NBA Finals — so captivating. It’s a race to four wins. That’s how you get here. Four more separate fears from legacy.
