The Indiana Pacers have not won the NBA Finals yet. Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday night, and the Oklahoma City Thunder remain favorites, although with only one game left, anything could happen.
If the Pacers manage to complete the upset--and the comeback--and win their first NBA title, there is no clear-cut Finals MVP favorite. Tyrese Haliburton dropped a stinker in Game 5 and was not at full form in Game 6, Pascal Siakam has been solid, but not spectacular, and bench players Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell might not have the volume to make a compelling case.
However, Obi Toppin might just have enough to win the Bill Russell award, provided the Pacers can finish the job.
So far, he is averaging 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 "stocks" in the Finals. He is shooting 39.4 percent from deep and has scored 15 or more points in three of the six games.
That's not too shabby for a player who was included in cost-cutting trade rumors this winter.
Remember, the Pacers got off to a very slow start to the season, and Toppin, among others, looked expendable. The Pacers have not paid the luxury tax since 2005, but if they re-sign Myles Turner, which seems like a mere formality at this point, that will change unless they cut costs.
Toppin is set to make $14 million next season, and even more in the next two years.
That's not big money in NBA terms, but it would be enough for the Pacers to save money in league taxes. However, with dreams of making it back to the Finals, especially in a weaker Eastern Conference next season, now is the time to spend.
Toppin would fetch quite a return on the trade market, but tinkering with one of the best rosters in the league just to save some money doesn't seem worth it, especially when owner Herb Simon is 90 years old and has $4.7 billion to spend.
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