Thank you, Pacers and Thunder, for killing NBA’s ring-chasing culture

The success of the Thunder and Pacers represents a win for basketball ethics and a loss for the NBA’s culture of chasing rings. 

Neither squad was built on the back of years of tanking (to amass blue-chip talents) and/or a series of trades to accumulate stars — the formula used by a host of teams since the turn of the century.

Instead, they were shaped by blue-collar cultures that valued team spirit and camaraderie even more than raw talent. This environment offered second chances to cast-offs, appreciated role players and didn’t yield to the whims and fancies of superstars. Look no further than the fact that Chet Holmgren is the only top-five pick on either team, and that the best defensive player in the series, Luguentz Dort, went undrafted. Also consider that Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Isaiah Joe were nearly out of the league before receiving a new lease on life.

And most importantly, the two alphas — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Clippers) and Tyrese Haliburton (Kings) — were traded by the teams that drafted them within their sophomore years. The Thunder and Pacers saw something in them that others overlooked.  

A new blueprint for the NBA?

The unconventional roster constructions have also allowed the Thunder and Pacers to deviate from modern NBA norms. In the playoffs, they’ve ranked 11th and 14th, respectively, in ISO points, and seventh and 11th in three-point attempts. The latter metric marks a sea shift from last year’s champions, the Celtics, who relied so heavily on the deep ball.

The Pacers and Thunder have played an agenda-free brand of basketball reminiscent of a college team, best highlighted by their leading the playoffs in transition points. After the Pacers clinched a berth in the NBA Finals, Myles Turner explained why the two teams had created a new blueprint for 28 other teams to follow.

“This is a new blueprint for the league, man,” he declared. “I think the years of the super teams and stacking [talents] — that’s not as effective as it once was. Since I’ve been in the league, the NBA is very trendy; it shifts. The new trend now is what we’re doing. OKC does the same thing. Young guys get out, run, defend and use ‘the power of friendship’ as how they call it.”

Further to Turner’s point, the Thunder versus Pacers will mark the youngest combined average age (26.3) in an NBA Finals since the 1977 NBA Finals between the Trail Blazers and 76ers (25.6). 

If the NBA is a league of trends, “power of friendship” reigns supreme, and we have the Thunder and Pacers to thank for it.