As a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player, George has clearly had one of the better careers of his generation. But for all his individual accomplishments, the Philadelphia 76ers forward hasn't been all that close to the NBA Finals in over a decade. That hasn't come from a lack of trying in dictating where he's played.

For Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, he added another trip to the NBA Finals to his resume. As a result, he steps foot into an elite NBA coaching category, joining the former Detr

Now, Gilgeous-Alexander will look to lead the Thunder to their first NBA championship in franchise history. Of course, the Thunder won a title back in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics, but they gave up their Seattle history when they moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Game 1 with the Pacers is set for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

Paul George has been traded from the Pacers and Thunder before, and now both teams are facing off in the NBA Finals.

The Pacers return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 and they face a Thunder team that posted the fifth-most wins in NBA history.

However, Sixers star Paul George has a name that not a lot of people are considering: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. On an episode of "Podcast P with Paul George": In my eyes, I think he is a superstar.

Ben Simmons, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey never were pure point guards. Haliburton and Brunson are.

Led by Haliburton, the Pacers play fast and efficiently, a deadly combination, which means they rarely turn the ball over. Their turnover rate during the regular season (13.1%) ranked as the league's third-best, behind only the Thunder and the Boston Celtics, and they have been better with the ball in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers held the No. 16 pick in the 2008 NBA draft after a surprise run to the playoffs and they were able to land Mo Speights for the bench unit. A big man out of Florida, Speights gave the Sixers a boost off the bench and was somebody Philadelphia could count on.

What are the most important matchups? What history is at stake? Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton take an early look at Thunder-Pacers.

NBA playoffs began, the Indiana Pacers were given 50-to-1 odds to win the title. Ten teams had better chances. Most analysts didn’t even mention them in championship conversations.