On Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Indiana Pacers for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder are seen by many as the clear favorite to win the title. One of those people is Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Barkley (via The Dan Patrick Show): "I think they [Pacers] can make it competitive, but I've been saying for months, nobody can beat that team four times in a week. The Pacers got a good team... They [Thunder] might be the deepest team I've ever seen... It's gonna really negate the Pacers bench, which helped them beat the Knicks." The Thunder finished the 2024-25 season as the first seed in the Western Conference with a 68-14 record. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs. Via The NBA: "Average age of OKC players: 25.6 years young The Thunder are the 2nd youngest team in the last 70 years to make the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV , only behind Bill Walton and the 1976-77 Trail Blazers! Gam
This article first appeared on Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.