The Indiana Pacers are going to be without forward Jarace Walker for at least the first two games of the 2025 NBA Finals, coach Rick Carlisle said Monday, three days ahead of the team's Game 1 showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder should enter the NBA Finals as a heavy favorite regardless of who advances. The West is just a different animal. The Pacers and Knicks are closer to the Memphis Grizzlies than the Nuggets or Timberwolves on the talent scale.

On May 31, the Indiana Pacers responded to one of their most lackluster performances of the playoffs in Game 5 like the Eastern Conference champs many predicted they would be after their series with the New York Knicks tipped off,