Pace will be a Factor for OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers might not have the biggest market appeal as an NBA Finals matchup, but on the court, it should make for a compelling meeting between two of the league's fastest paced teams.

In the regular season, Oklahoma City finished with the fifth-best pace, while Indiana followed closely behind at No. 7. In the playoffs, they've had the second and third fastest pace, only trailing the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I think we both have the top highest paces in the playoffs up until this point," Aaron Wiggins said on the Pacers. "Their pace is something that's probably similar to ours. Along as the depth of their team."

Looking at the two point guards at the helm — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton — it's not hard to see why both offenses are so much quicker than most other teams. They like to move in transition, finding players down the field that will attack the basket.

For a Thunder defense equally as dominant, it expects to limit what Indiana can do in that realm. It hasn't encountered an offense this deadly yet, but it's prepared to handle the assignment.

"We know they're a really fast-paced team and they like to try to get a lot of their points out in transition," Isaiah Joe said. "I think we have to take pride amongst ourselves to be able to get back and match all 5 in transition."

Oklahoma City and the Pacers are very reminiscent of each other: relatively young teams that like to push the pace and carry quite the weaponry on both ends. The Thunder has to match that energy of its opponent, while still carrying out the things that make up its own identity.

Both teams can score the basketball — we know that. For Oklahoma City to come out of the series on top, its defense will need to once again be in the best shape possible.