By Mardeio Cannon | OBSERVER Columnist
Now that the 2024-25 NBA season has finally ended, I have some random thoughts about the completed NBA Finals in which the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
Most experts, including yours truly, thought the Pacers would be lucky to win even one game because of the Thunder’s superior record and how they were demolishing teams in the playoffs. Wow, were we wrong.
Stop the debate on whether Tyrese Haliburton is an NBA superstar. All I know is that this young man plays NBA basketball with skill, style and a youthful zest. He has made NBA fans recognize his superior play at point guard and he is outstanding in the clutch, as he showed by all the game-ending clutch shots he made in the playoffs. Were John Stockton and Steve Nash superstars? All I know is that Haliburton is one of the NBA’s best point guards and that makes him a star for me.
I believe that if Haliburton hadn’t suffered a torn Achilles in the first quarter of Game 7 after shooting 3 for 4 on three-pointers in seven minutes, the Pacers would be NBA champions.
The Thunder played some of the best defense I have seen in an NBA Finals in a long time. What makes this so troublesome for the rest of the NBA is that the Thunder are one of the league’s youngest teams, and their top players are all under contract for next season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the latest NBA superstar who was not born in the United States and that trend concerns some NBA fans and supporters. Gilgeous-Alexander joins Nikola Jokic, Luka Dončić and “the Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo as the NBA’s best players. That’s without considering star center Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who many feel soon will be the face of the NBA. U.S.-born superstars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant are all over 35 and will be retiring from the NBA in a few short years. It is my hope that a U.S.-born superstar soon fills the void to capture the hearts of U.S. NBA fans.
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