The Oklahoma City Thunder ended the regular season with the best record for a reason, but ahead of their NBA Finals matchup, there is one strength the Indiana Pacers can match: their elite depth.
One of the reasons the Thunder have been so successful recently is because of their depth. In addition to having a fantastic starting lineup, led by reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder also have a great second unit, including players like Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe.
This is a huge strength for Oklahoma City, and they have used it to their advantage time and time again en route to an NBA Finals appearance. However, the Pacers have them matched and maybe even beaten in this area.
Indiana's second unit has been exceptional. They are getting big contributions from everyone, from Obi Toppin to Bennedict Mathurin to T.J. McConnell, and even to Thomas Bryant, who was amazing in the Pacers' series-clinching Game 6 victory over the New York Knicks in the conference finals.
The Thunder are going to provide the Pacers with their biggest challenge yet, but they made it all the way to the NBA Finals for a reason. Indiana may be the only team that can go depth-for-depth with the Thunder, and that bodes well for them as they look to bring home their first-ever NBA Championship.
The Pacers' bench came up big in the conference finals
Indiana ultimately got to this point because of their top players. However, the bench deserves a lot of credit as well for how well they played against the Knicks.
In the conference finals, the Pacers got plenty of big performances from their second unit. Mathurin, who was up and down all postseason, had multiple games where he dropped 20 or more points off the bench, even when it seemed like he was falling out of the rotation. Toppin was also solid against his former team, even scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting in game 6.
Against a team like the Thunder, it is all hands on deck for Indiana. Their top guys will need to bring their A-game, but the same can be said about their bench. Fortunately for the Pacers, their second unit has proven they can step up when needed. Hopefully for them, they can continue to ride this momentum against the best team in the NBA and bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in franchise history.