Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pacers officially the most equal-opportunity team in NBA history

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 9:40 AM ET

Myles Turner spoke eloquently about the Pacers utilizing the "power of friendship" in their journey to the 2025 NBA Finals.

Those words denote the Pacers' uncanny ability to lean on each other and thrive as a collective, a seismic shift from past NBA Finals teams which relied heavily on one or two superstar players.

The proof is in the numbers. This year's Pacers are the first team in NBA history to have eight different players score 200+ points in the same postseason run.

Through 22 games in the playoffs, the Pacers have received sizable points production from Pascal Siakam (456), Tyrese Haliburton (390), Myles Turner (311), Aaron Nesmith (288), Andrew Nembhard (272), Bennedict Mathurin (219), Obi Toppin (216) and T.J. McConnell (202).

team ball

we are the first team in @nba history to have 8 players score 200+ points in a single postseason pic.twitter.com/m4k68SE47V
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 20, 2025

In six Finals games against the Thunder, the same eight players have averaged at least double-digit points, also a first in NBA history. Siakam (19.8), Haliburton (14.8), Toppin (12.8), Turner (11.3), McConnell (11.3), Nembhard (11.2), Nesmith (10.5) and Mathurin (10.5) have collectively shared the workload for Rick Carlisle's equal-opportunity team.

In comparison, the Thunder have only four players averaging double-digit points, with the team relying heavily on co-stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

The contrasting nature of the teams could be a deciding factor in Sunday's Game 7, according to Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who is predicting that the Pacers will harness their collective mentality to achieve a franchise-first NBA championship.

"Indiana's players don't depend on just one guy to get 25 points; they've got five or six guys who can get 15, 16, 17. They're very comfortable in that range," Thomas said while picking the Pacers to upset the Thunder.

A win for the Pacers would symbolize a victory for the "power of friendship," marking a departure from a superstar-driven league.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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