As the NBA Finals come to an end, there is something to be taken from how the Indiana Pacers built a team steady enough to go the distance.
Every year, there is one team that provides a blueprint of how the modern game should be played. In 2019, it was your beloved Toronto Raptors. In 2025, it’s the improbable Indiana Pacers. Who could have envisioned this just two months ago?
True, the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed to 68 wins and crowned the league’s MVP. Their story is compelling: a masterclass in drafting and a seismic trade for the eventual MVP. Yet, is it not the Pacers who have captured our attention?
What exactly can Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and the rest of the Toronto Raptors glean from these Pacers?
First, you have to give the Pacers their flowers for identifying and decisively addressing what they needed to take the next step: a legitimate #2 or 1B. Enter Pascal Siakam, Canada’s adopted son. Pascal has been a calming influence and a steady leader for the Pacers. When Spicy P says, “Don’t take it for granted” or encourages his teammates to “force your will”, they clearly listen.
On the defensive end, the Pacers allow a staggering 9.3 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (108.6) than they do when he sits (117.9) in these playoffs. Offensively, Siakam quietly shines without touches. They would be wise to involve him even more.
But the Pacers aren’t solely built on star power. They go at least 10 deep. They also exemplify the versatility that Masai coveted over the past few years with ‘Vision 6’9”’. In last year’s playoff run, the Celtics targeted a smaller Haliburton on defense en route to a commendably contested but not-so-close four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
A determined Haliburton worked relentlessly on his defense in the offseason. The result? A defensive chain without broken links. Add in defensive stalwarts Nembhard, who’s been frustrating SGA since they were 9 years old, and Nesmith, who took the lead against Brunson and the Knicks, and you have a tough, switchable perimeter defense to go along with their mobile bigs.
And those mobile bigs can shoot. Siakam, Turner and Toppin combined to shoot a sparkling 38.5% from three in the regular season. As steady a force as Poeltl has been, he’s not exactly keeping defenses honest.
Combine shooting prowess with passing and speed, and you’ve got a lethal offense. In the playoffs, the Pacers are second only to the Heat series-inflated Cavs in points per 100 possessions and lead all teams in assists per game. Howard Beck of The Ringer called it bringing the ‘Seven Second or Less’ offense to its final form. It demands quick decisions from a high IQ roster and the willingness to run track meets on game day.
The Pacers have fully bought into the system. They play tough, inbound with urgency, and get back on defense — even if it sometimes means sacrificing offensive rebounds. All by design. In return, Rick Carlisle has handed them the reins. “Coach trusts us in those moments to not call timeouts…” Haliburton told Lisa Saulters after his ice-cold dagger in Game 1 of The Finals. They believe in themselves no matter what the score.
Regardless of what happens in games 6 and 7 of The Finals, this is a team to be feared, revered and shamelessly emulated.