Finals Poll: Rate the finals so far

[djsunyc]

how do you think the finals are going so far?

3 games. 2 close games and the underdog is up 2-1.

[ChiTownHero1992]

Above average but i'm still not sold on the product as a whole, the two teams are fighting though so it slightly tolerable

[cupcakesnake]

The Pacers are mind bending and now they're doing it against the best defense I've ever seen.

Game 2 was a blowout, so the series loses a few points for that. Games 1 was a buzzer beater comeback that felt out of nowhere. Game 3 was a super competitive back and forth all game long.

I voted "good" for the record. Still has a chance to get the upgrade to great and I hope it does

[Mavrelous]

Games 1 and 3 were A+

[Tony15]

Above average but i'm still not sold on the product as a whole, the two teams are fighting though so it slightly tolerable

This is where I stand generally, though I’d say these Finals have pretty great so far. As a poster stated above….Games 1 & 3 were fantastic games. Although the product has diminished in quality in terms of how the game is played amongst other things, the postseason competition is still very much there & THAT’s what inevitably keeps me engaged.


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[LePeekaboo]

In the last 25 years, I would rank this dead last as far as entertainment behind PHX/MKE and SAS/NJ.

This has been nice for the small market teams but I will be completely honest, it has been boring with no polarizing personalities. I miss Kobe, Shaq, Curry, Dirk, KG, Lebron, KD…even Jimmy?

I don’t believe any of the remaining players have a love for the game like the legends above. Must be a Gen Z thing.

Thunder are too young and childish (cringey TikToks, post game interviews, unethical hoops, etc).

Pacers are likeable but don’t have a top 15 player (Hali debatable). Good team, historically good organization. Fans desire star power, though.

[scrabbarista]

Great, I'd say!

[durden_tyler]

How these teams are built (deep at least 8 players) is great for the game. As the league has always been a copycat league, maybe other teams wisen up and tries to copy (tough with CBA and such) or at least the other top contenders also do the same so we even have more parity among the playoff contending teams.

[IMF]

In the last 25 years, I would rank this dead last as far as entertainment behind PHX/MKE and SAS/NJ.

This has been nice for the small market teams but I will be completely honest, it has been boring with no polarizing personalities. I miss Kobe, Shaq, Curry, Dirk, KG, Lebron, KD…even Jimmy?

I don’t believe any of the remaining players have a love for the game like the legends above. Must be a Gen Z thing.

Thunder are too young and childish (cringey TikToks, post game interviews, unethical hoops, etc).

Pacers are likeable but don’t have a top 15 player (Hali debatable). Good team, historically good organization. Fans desire star power, though.

Bro just watch professional wrestling I think that's more your speed.

[tmorgan]

How these teams are built (deep at least 8 players) is great for the game. As the league has always been a copycat league, maybe other teams wisen up and tries to copy (tough with CBA and such) or at least the other top contenders also do the same so we even have more parity among the playoff contending teams.

Oh, it can be copied, but you’ll have to repress the top end salaries a bit to do it. I think we’re headed that way, and I’m all for it. Save the middle class in the NBA…. yeah, I know they’re all insanely wealthy by common standards. Work with me here!

[kodo]

How these teams are built (deep at least 8 players) is great for the game. As the league has always been a copycat league, maybe other teams wisen up and tries to copy (tough with CBA and such) or at least the other top contenders also do the same so we even have more parity among the playoff contending teams.

I'm loving seeing how much both teams trust their full rotations.
Indy bench: 41 ppg
OKC bench: 31 ppg

Last year BOS bench: 23 ppg
2 years ago DEN bench: 22 ppg

Never thought I'd see a Finals G1 where a coach just takes the ball out of his best player's hands, and it actually works. 2nd rounder Andrew Nembhard dancing with the MVP in the final minutes for a terrible stepback fadeaway contested 3 and hitting was pure cinema.

[SA37]

I think the series has been entertaining overall even if there haven't been many exciting/get-out-of-your-seat plays and a lot of sloppy basketball, particularly from Indiana. The fact that team depth and role players have been key to winning gives this a bit of a college basketball feel, and I think that is a good thing.

[Chuck Everett]

When you're a "player only" fan, it's gotta be weird watching teams win because the TEAM plays well collectively. How come my superhero isn't enough?

[doogie_hauser]

It's the most interesting and twist filled playoffs and finals series in years, the Pacers have become the Underdog Darlings of the NBA community and media.

People espected the Thunder's bench to be the decisive factor overall but it's Indy and it's underrated depth that especially have come to the fore, like Obi-Wan Dunk-Hoppin and Mathurin in game 3.

For a series to be regarded as great, it has to go to 7 games and it's a solid chance of that happening..

The last few years, the finals were all but over after the first 2 games, this is a refreshing competitive change..

And if anything else, this series is proof more than anything else that COACHING MATTERS !!!

Haliburton is 2 wins away from replacing Reggie as The Pacers GOAT

It's really enjoyable to me watching history unfold like this.

[doogie_hauser]

When you're a "player only" fan, it's gotta be weird watching teams win because the TEAM plays well collectively. How come my superhero isn't enough?

That applies to those sooks of Big City teams who claim they won't be watching because these are two of the smallest market teams duking it out in the finals.

Their loss, this has been the most fascinating and enjoyable finals series to watch (as a neutral fan) in years.

[iggymcfrack]

Been absolutely incredible. The product on the floor might be the best I've seen in any NBA series ever. Such incredible, incredible defense being played on both sides and the players still find ways to levitate above it. From a perspective of skill, strategy, anything, it's at an all-time level.

[iggymcfrack]

When you're a "player only" fan, it's gotta be weird watching teams win because the TEAM plays well collectively. How come my superhero isn't enough?

What if I'm a "player only" fan, but the player trait that really gets me excited is passing and quickly moving the ball so that my 2 favorite players in the NBA are Jokic and Haliburton? Honestly, it's been a pretty all-time superhero performance this playoffs from Haliburton.

[Ill News]

It's been great so far, mostly because the Pacers don't look overmatched against the heavy favorite Thunder. It's still a mismatch on paper and based on team records, but the Pacers stealing Game 1 changed everything.

This is unlike last year's finals where the Celtics just laid a big fat reality check on everyone when they drubbed the Mavs in Game 1 and basically controlled 80% of the series onward (that 40-point beatdown by the Mavs in Game 4 aside). This year's Finals feels much more exciting, with their contrast of styles, juggernaut-vs-underdog storyline, and young stars leading their teams to a possible title.

[FreeBird23]

Very good.
Especially because many people saw the Pacers getting massacred and in the end they brought a breath of fresh air and showed that it's a team game and not a game of individuals. No matter who wins, they surpassed all predictions and Carlisle showed that he is the best coach in this league.

[GreenBloodedC]

Great (relative to other finals) based on game 1 alone.