Pictured: 2016-17 Panini Noir #130 Pascal Siakam BW JSY AU
One of the many things sports offers fans, the expected and unexpected can come together offering exciting ways. Before the 2025 NBA Playoffs began, most expected the Boston Celtics to be in the Finals to defend their 2024 championship season against the rising Oklahoma City Thunder. As fate would have it, the fourth seeded Indiana Pacers in the East steamrolled through the playoffs creating a unique 4 seed vs. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder for the top honors.
With Game 1 of the Finals starting on Thursday, June 5, airing on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET, young collectors may want a guide on which players to add to their PC.
Indiana Pacers
From an All-Star perspective, power forward Pascal Siakam is the leader for Indiana. Siakam led his team in points per game (20.2) and rebounds (6.9). Listed at 6-8, 245, Siakam is a unique two-way player that can run the offense with playmaking abilities and is a hardnosed defender.
Drafted in the first round by the Toronto Raptors at No. 27 overall in 2016, Siakam earned his third All-Star selection in 2025 (2020, 2023), has been named the league’s Most Improved Player (2019), and earned a championship with the Raptors in 2019.
Collectors have caught onto Pacers’ point guard Tyrese Haliburton during this postseason. An All-Star in 2023 and ’24, Haliburton flirted with a season-long double-double posting 18.6 with 9.2 assists per game.
Haliburton has played big minutes (35.1) for Indiana in the playoffs averaging 18.8, 5.7 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game against Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York.
Pacers of Note
What makes Indiana so dangerous and difficult to beat is their depth. Siakam and Haliburton get the lion’s share of attention, but center Miles Turner, forward Aaron Nesmith, guard Andrew Nembhard, and shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin can help put the proverbial dagger in the opposition. If you like defending big men, Turner is a swat master.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The best team throughout the regular season was the Thunder, and despite being tested by the Denver Nuggets, that notion holds true going into the Finals. OKC has a big three, but the nucleus of that group is league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA).
Gilgeous-Alexander has been a scoring machine in the playoffs averaging 29.8 through 16 games. During the regular season, SAG posted 32.7, 5.0, and 6.4 assists per game. Looking for SAG cards, he was drafted by Charlotte out of Kentucky and then traded to the LA Clippers (2018-19). In SAG’s third NBA season, he started to come into his own. Over the last three seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a different level paving the way for Hall of Fame honors.
Jalen Williams has been spectacular for the Thunder adding 20.4 points per game during the playoffs. A lottery pick by OKC in 2022 out of Santa Clara, Willams had his breakout season this year earning his first All-Star selection, third team All-NBA honors, and was placed on the second team NBA Defensive squad.
The third piece to Oklahoma City’s Big Three is power forward/center Chet Holmgren. Holmgren’s inside-out game, ability to run the pick-and-roll, and soft touch on the long ball creates matchup problems for the Pacers. Fans have seen flashes of greatness from the 2022 second pick overall, but a fractured pelvis limited his 2024-25 season to 32 games. A big showing in the Finals could push his rookie and graded cards to that next level.
Thunder of Note
While the Pacers are deep, OKC relies on seven players for the bulk of playing time with Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe getting meaningful minutes as called upon. Center Isaiah Hartenstein bounced around the league from the Rockets, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Clippers, and Knicks until finding his home with the Thunder. The career journeyman could win some hearts leading to card trades on the secondary market.
Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso are key role players for OKC that will have their opportunities to shine in the best of seven series.
Pictured: 2018-19 Panini Status #156 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander RC