The gruelling 82-game season of the NBA is a facade, really. If you see the likes of the English Premier League, top teams go the whole season without losing at home. And why not – your home is supposed to be a fortress. But the prem only has 38 games. In the NBA’s calender, even the best home record this season is the Thunder’s, with just 6 losses out of the 42 games at the Paycom Center. The biggest thing in your arsenal going into the NBA Finals is home-court advantage. But after Magic Johnson’s keen eye, that might not even be a factor.
Who doesn’t love the Pacers’ little Cinderella run? Everyone loves an underdog story. And this Indiana team has the chance to be the best ever – even better than the Mavs’ 2011 squad. But of course – they have to win the championship for that. It seems destined to go to Oklahoma City for the first time this season. For sure, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. will give their lives to fulfill that destiny. But they’ll need all of the City fans behind them, as the Pacers have their ridiculous away record on their side.
“The Oklahoma City Thunder should be worried about Indiana because the Pacers have been a great road team in this year’s Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs they beat the Bucks in Milwaukee once at home in the first round, the #1 seeded Cavaliers three times in Cleveland in the second round, and then beat the Knicks twice in New York during the Eastern Conference Finals,” said Johnson on X.
The Oklahoma City Thunder should be worried about Indiana because the Pacers have been a great road team in this year’s Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs they beat the Bucks in Milwaukee once at home in the first round, the #1 seeded Cavaliers three times in Cleveland in the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 4, 2025
You want another reason for the opening argument? OKC had the best away record of the regular season too. They went 32-8 away from the City, which is insanely good if you think about it. Enter the playoffs – they lost 3 games away, two against Nuggets and one against the Timberwolves. Of course, their home record remained almost scot-free, losing a game at home in that entertaining 4-3 semis series against Denver. But that may force the Pacers to pull their socks up and destroy the Thunder’s dreams, just like they did to their other playoff opponents so far.
Magic Johnson might try to set fear into OKC with his observation
Let’s start with New York. It’s supposed to be the concrete jungle where dreams are made, right? But that was the dream crushed by the Pacers. 2/4 of their wins came at the Garden. And that was while the Garden was supposed to be the fortress, a notion Indiana crushed effortlessly.
Those dreams extended to Cleveland and Milwaukee too. The more you hear this, the more their Cinderella story etches itself in history. Neither of the Cavs or the Bucks were ready for the controlled chaos Rick Carlisle brought into the fray. Maybe beating someone like the Bucks might not have been something to stick on the fridge. But the Cavs? That too beating them 4-1, comeback after comeback? Something to remember, for sure. And Magic Johnson bringing this up is his way of saying who his favourites are for the Finals.
Magic Johnson
All eyes are on the Finals now. It’s gonna be meticulous brilliance versus controlled chaos for this one. And while the Thunder do seem like the favourites, so did the rest of the Pacers’ opponents. Guess what happened to them.
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