The Indiana Pacers, despite being overlooked for most of this season, cruised through the NBA playoffs, beating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks before matching up against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
On the backs of ball handlers like Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, and even forward Obi Toppin, the Pacers love to push the pace and get out in transition.
While they don't play nearly as fast (in comparison to the era) to the Seven Seconds or less Phoenix Suns of the 2000s, their breakneck pace and eagerness to start fast breaks have drawn some comparisons, including one by Mike D'Antoni, who created the Suns' offensive scheme.
“I enjoy watching Indiana,” D’Antoni told The Ringer. “They’ve put together a team that plays similar to the 2004 Phoenix Suns—but I think at a higher level.”
At times, the Suns and Pacers do look identical, although the mid-2000s and 2020s are very different eras in the league, which can be reflected below.
While Haliburton certainly has some Steve Nash in his game, Carlisle, unlike D'Antoni, has long preached defense.
While the Suns ran, ran, and ran some more, the Pacers pressed full court almost all game, turning defense into offense rather than just getting their offense set before the defense had a chance to get set up.
D'Antoni had Nash to run his mutated offense, and while Haliburton has shown flashes, Indiana's depth allows them to keep up their breakneck speed more than anything else.
The Suns ended their season with only seven players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. Even after removing Isaiah Jackson, who played only five games for Indiana before tearing his Achilles, the Pacers have 11 such players.
The Pacers are the modern-day Seven Seconds or Less Suns, although it is an imperfect comparison. The Pacers shoot fewer 3s (adjusted for era, of course), boast more depth, and play better defense, although they lack to starpower the Suns had.
On top of that, one must note that the Suns never made the Finals while playing their fast-paced game. Being in the same conference as the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs didn't help, although the Pacers have made it deeper than any D'Antoni-led team, including his Carmleo Anthony-led New York Knicks and the James Harden Houston Rockets, who had to run into those pesky Spurs and the Golden State Warriors dynasty in the postseason year after year.
The Suns have made the Finals three times, never winning, and D'Antoni was never able to bring them to the promised land. Carlisle, on the other hand, won a ring with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and is two wins away from adding another.
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