[From ESPN]

With a 125-108 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers clinched a spot in the 2025 NBA Finals, setting up one of the most surprising championship matchups in league history.

In some respects, the fourth-seeded Pacers and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't be further apart. OKC entered this season among the favorites for the title and dominated the Western Conference from start to finish, while Indiana scuffled to a losing record until flipping the switch in January. The Thunder have the league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, plus another All-NBA honoree and two All-Defensive selections; the Pacers' only recipient of any season honor is Tyrese Haliburton, who landed on the All-NBA third team.

Yet in other respects, the finalists have a lot in common, as two young teams led by dynamic guards who play in the middle of the country. These are the first NBA Finals since the introduction of the luxury tax in which neither team is a taxpayer. Both finalists play in a fun, engaging style and are set up for more postseason success in the seasons to come.

Before the Finals tip off on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC), here are the stats, trends and head-to-head wrinkles to know about this unexpected Thunder-Pacers showdown.

Read more of ESPN's story HERE