Stern s long game: bid farewell to the monopoly of the giants, and the two sides became models of small team counterattacks in the finals

No matter how TV ratings are reflected, two teams that have never won a championship in their current city have ushered in a time of strength and provided a blueprint for how to achieve this goal.

Last week, NBA fans made slightly sarcastic comments on social media about the Pacers' NBA Finals showdown between the Pacers and Thunder as they celebrated their victory in the series to eliminate the Knicks. Among them: David Stern will hate this showdown. Stern, the former NBA president of New York, allegedly sent Patrick Ewing to the Knicks and did claim that his favorite Finals match was "Lakes vs. Lakers" and would feel uncomfortable with the competition between the two smallest market teams in the league. "It's pure nonsense," said a senior team executive. "David will love this." Indeed, as the NBA prepares to crown the new champion for its seventh consecutive season, it's worth noting that it was Stern who started it all. In 2011, Stern was determined to cut players' share of basketball-related income and implement a stricter salary cap system, which shut down players and forced the league to shut down for up to 161 days. Stern said the NBA needs a system of "30 teams, if managed properly, all have the opportunity to compete and make profits." The league lost 16 games in the 2011-12 season as a result, but it obtained a collective bargaining agreement, thus embarking on a path of balanced strength.

To some extent, this finals are Stern's most brilliant achievement. The Pacers (the ninth-small media market in the NBA) have never won the NBA championship. The Thunder’s predecessor dates back to Seattle, where they won the 1979 championship. In Oklahoma City (the third smallest media market), the team never won the championship.

One of the teams will pick up Larry O'Brien Cup, which is exactly what Stern envisions. They are well-run and well-managed teams that have created a championship-level roster through smart drafts, smart trades and timely free agent signings. After 14 years, two more labor-management agreement negotiations, a president change (Adam Silver, Stern's long-term vice president, succeeded Stern in 2014) and a surge in salary cap, the NBA has created an environment where half of the playoff teams believe they can win the championship. The other half of the teams believe that they are only one or two key players away from joining this ranks.

"I understand that fans will support the dynasty team," Xiao Hua said last year. "At the same time, what you hear from the fans is that they want these teams to be built in the right way. So people are not that interested in seeing teams with money to buy championships, so it can be said that they are not that interested in seeing teams with money to buy championships."

For the NBA, the dream has come true. The balance of strength has been achieved. This is an era of strength and the two finals teams provide a blueprint for how to achieve this goal. In the spring of 2019, the Thunder's management actively deployed for the upcoming offseason. They were disappointing in the 2018-19 season, losing to the Trail Blazers in the first round. Nevertheless, the Thunder believe that the team with Russell Westbrook and Paul George as the core still has a chance to fight again, and the management led by Sam Presti is determined to bring in players who can help them achieve their goals.

Then, on the eve of the free agent market opening, George requested a deal. The Thunder were forced to rebuild rather than readjust. George was first traded to the Clippers for one of the largest player and pick trading chips in NBA history: three unprotected first-round picks from the Clippers, two first-round picks from the Heat, two draft picks swaps, and a 20-year-old young defender named Shay Gilgers Alexander.

Next is Westbrook. The Rockets are eager to find a new backcourt partner for James Harden, and they send Chris Paul, two first-round picks and two draft pick swaps to the Thunder for Westbrook. Total, the return on the deal is historic: seven first-round picks and four draft picks swap rights.

Thunder team management was excited. But they know what will happen next. It's easy to sell star players, but now the Thunder will have to play without stars. They avoided disasters in their first year, and led by Paul, Alexander and Dennis Schroeder, they won 44 wins in the 2019-20 season shortened by the coronavirus. That summer, the Thunder traded Paul to the Suns and won another first-round draft pick. That's when the team completely collapsed. The Thunder won 22 games in the 2020-21 season and then won 24 games in the following season. The losing streak is frustrating. They suffered 14 consecutive losses in the 2020-21 season, followed by another nine consecutive losses. In the 2021-22 season, they experienced seven consecutive losses, eight consecutive losses and 10 consecutive losses.

However, those years also brought opportunities. "That's like a blank piece of paper," said Mark Dignot. Dagnott served as the Thunder assistant coach under Billy Donovan. After Donovan left office in 2020, he was promoted to head coach. When Presti used the previous years to find players, Dygenot used that time to build the system. "How will we play on both offense and defense?" said Dagenut. "Basic skills will be improved over time, and we will hone our courage through adversity of more losses and less losses."

Losing is very difficult. "It's humble," said Alexander. Nevertheless, like Dignot, Alexander saw the advantage of playing in a stress-free environment. The Kings were in a decades-long downturn. Halliburton hopes to be part of the team that turns the situation around.

Halliburton wants to be involved in building something. With the Pacers, he became the core. With Halliburton's joining, the Pacers began looking for players who could complement him. Halliburton is a unique genius. He won't beat you at a low post. He is a good singles player, but not an extremely good singles player. He is such a player: a three-pointer, a gorgeous organizer, a lightning bolt in the fast break. "When we put this team around Tyres, we had to make adjustments to form a way of playing that worked for us," Carlisle said. The team prioritized the fluency of the offense. The Pacers ranked 17th in the league in the 2021-22 season. The next year, Halliburton's first full season, they ranked fourth. In the playoffs, the Pacers destroyed their opponents by converting offenses, often creating fast break opportunities after the opponent scored goals. Since 1990, only two teams have reached the Finals at a faster pace than the Pacers: the Warriors were one of them in the 2016-17 season, and the Thunder were the other in the 2024-25 season.

is more than just a conversion attack. During the half-court offense, the Pacers' offense is always in a sporty state. The ball never stops. According to data from the NBA official website, the Pacers can average 330.5 passes per game in the regular season, ranking second in the league. They are in the top five in assists, second assists and assists to create scores. While they did this, they ranked in the top five last-game turnovers per game.

To play this style, the Pacers need the right players. They already have some. Miles Turner, a flexible inside player who can shoot three points, can seamlessly integrate. TJ-McConaughey, a tough defender, fits in Carlisle's pressing style. They selected Andrew Nemhard, Bennedict Mathering and Ben Shepard. They traded Aaron Nesmith and Obi Topin, who had few chances to play with the Celtics and the Knicks, but were thrilled with the Pacers. In 2024, the Pacers face a choice. The Pacers performed well at the time, ranking in the top six in the Eastern Conference and are expected to enter the playoffs for the first time since 2020. But they lack something: a reliable outside scorer, and the overallity of the defensive end. When the Raptors put Pascal Siakam on the shelves, the Pacers decisively took action and exchanged three first-round picks for the Raptors forward.

The deal was immediate. Siakam averaged 21.3 points per game in 41 games that season, hitting 38.6% from three-pointers, helping the Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Halliburton called him "Big Brother". Siakam has played in 78 games this season, averaging 20.2 points per game, and is selected as the All-Star for the third time. His performance in the division finals (24.8 points per game, 5 rebounds) made him the division final MVP.

"Siakam's deal, oh my god," Max said, "What a change of the situation. That deal made them complete. Last year a team told me that it was a year ago, and it might still be the case. They are kind of like that model team. If there is a gold standard for how to build a roster under today's rules, it is them. When you have two maximum-paid players and everyone else is paid under $20 million."

under Halliburton. If there is a star who emerged in this playoffs, it is Halliburton, who led the team to a historic reversal, made an incredible move, and it was the engine of the Pacers' first finals since 2000. Halliburton and Siakam hugged each other tightly after the final whistle of the sixth game against the Knicks.

"When we brought him here, we envisioned doing something like this, doing something special," Halliburton said. "This team gave me a chance. I saw something that others didn't see in me. Sometimes I feel like they saw more in me than I did myself. I like being a Pacers player. Nothing can match this." There was a question hovering over the finals: Will anyone see it? The efforts to pursue balanced strength effectively eliminated super teams in the big market and created competitive opportunities for small market teams. However, small-ball markets often mean lower ratings. Neither the Thunder nor the Pacers are among the top 20 in the media market, and this is the first time this has happened in Finals history. Privately, NBA executives admit that ratings may drop. The Western Conference Finals averaged 5.6 million spectators, down 17% from the Timberwolves' series against the Mavericks a year ago. The fifth decisive game was the fifth with the lowest ratings in nearly two decades. The star effect has traditionally helped to improve viewership. LeBron James has done this for years with the Cavaliers and the Heat. The Thunder and Pacers have star players (Alexander is the new MVP), but they have not yet entered a wider audience.

NBA insists there is no problem with this. The league does not provide pressure to high ratings. Last summer, the league signed a broadcast rights agreement with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon, which will generate $75 billion in revenue over the next 11 seasons. Stars like Alexander and Halliburton (not to mention Williams, Homegren, Turner and Siakam) will benefit from the Finals attention. In the long run, the NBA believes that the balance of strength at the NFL level will lead to widespread growth in viewership.

Critics will think that the NBA needs a dynasty team. The league experienced its biggest improvement in the 1980s, when the Celtics and Lakers were in fierce confrontation, and the 1990s was the period of the Bulls' rise. However, long-term growth requires more than just a few teams to win championships. Stern believed this. The finals are his legacy, a legacy skillfully inherited by Xiao Hua, and they all believe that this will bring a brighter future.

Author: Chris Mannix

Translator: GWayNe