The NBA Finals are on the horizon, but with a distinctly different feel as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers square off, with Game 1 set for Friday morning (AEST).
Two small market teams led by young superstars under the age of 27 in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton have ushered in a new era of NBA stardom. But this isn't a changing of the guard. It's already here.
We're watching the next face of the league battle in real time
NBA Entertainment
Much of the conversation around the NBA of late has centred around the question of who will take the mantle forward as the next face of the league in a post-LeBron world.
A mantle that is rarely given, rather taken, according NBA legend Charles Barkley, has seen Anthony Edwards emerge as a fan favourite, but right now SGA is making the best case after besting Edwards in the Western Conference Finals.
The Canadian guard is on track for one of the most complete seasons in NBA history, already taking home the Most Valuable Player of the Year award, and All-NBA First Team selection, leading the league in scoring, Western Conference MVP and now a potential NBA championship.
PREVIEW: Will SGA or Haliburton lead their teams to victory?
While on the other side Tyrese Haliburton, after a summer winning an Olympic Gold medal with Team USA has led the Pacers to the NBA Finals a year on from making the Eastern Conference Finals, playing some of the most exciting basketball in the league with their high-octane offense, bucking the traditional recipe for playoff success.
"I think that’s what the Finals are about is the best players in the league emerging at the right time," NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said during an international media call.
"You know we talk about the face of the league. This is when the next faces of the league start cementing themselves, and I’ve seen it.
"You’re seeing now the next generation of players – Siakam, Haliburton, Shai, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren. They’re now emerging on this global stage and this is when the faces of the NBA emerge. We don’t anoint them. The Jayson Tatums [of the world], they’re the ones who say, 'OK, we’re here now and going to play basketball at the highest level on the biggest stage.'"
Both teams bring a youthful swagger to the NBA's biggest stage, with the Thunder the youngest team in 50 years to advance to the Finals, entering the season as the league's youngest team with an average age of 24.148, according to the NBA. The Pacers came in just ahead with an average age of 25.263, just the fourth youngest among teams that made the playoffs.
This year's Finals marks just the fourth time in the last 15 years — but third in a row — that the NBA Finals hasn't featured one of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, signalling the new era of NBA stars hasn't just arrived, they're here to stay.
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While the NBA's modern legacy has been built on dynasties, from the '90s Bulls, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, the Big 3 Miami Heat and the Steph Curry-led Warriors, today's NBA looks a whole lot different.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement and second apron rules have made things tougher for teams to stack talent with more punitive implications for high-spending teams.
"You’re getting to see different teams emerge, and it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of dynasties," Tatum added.
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"What we’ve tried to do with the CBA is spread talent around the league and put teams in a position where, if well managed, they can compete for a championship regardless of what their market size is.
"We have seen that this season with OKC and Indiana making the Finals, and two years ago, with Denver winning the championship as well. So, at the end of the day what we sell is competition."
Since the luxury tax was instituted in 2002, 16 NBA champions have been luxury tax payers, with this year's matchup being the first ever between two non-luxury tax paying teams.
Per Spotrac, the Pacers ranked 18th in the NBA in salary this season, coming in at $169,149,491, while the Thunder ranked 25th with $165,601,091 on the books. The Thunder and the Pacers are spending smarter, building through the draft and benefitting from savvy trades.
As we're about to crown the seventh different champion for a seventh-straight season, the parity in the league is at a level we haven't seen since the mid-80s. From 1970 to 1987 a different champion emerged every season until the Showtime Lakers went back-to-back in 1987-88.
"When you look at the parity that exists in the league, again this is the seventh NBA champion in seven different seasons. That’s the first time that’s ever happened, Tatum continued.
"What we’re seeing is interest in the NBA has never been greater. So, the more fans, the more teams who think that their team has a chance going into the season, we think, is better for the NBA."
Does market size matter? In the age of social media...not so much
Indiana and Oklahoma City are a far cry from the glamorous major markets of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, and while chatter around TV ratings consumes the headlines, the numbers don't back that up.
Sure, Indiana and OKC are both in the bottom third of the league in TV market size and population, but that has mattered less as the NBA continues to embrace its digital future, with the NBA's social accounts continuing to grow year-on-year in both audience and views.
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"Market size is not as significant a factor today as it once was in driving fan interest," Tatum said.
"I’d also say that while traditional TV viewership certainly may be influenced by market size, we’ve seen strong viewership throughout these playoffs for both big and small market teams – our opening weekend was the most-viewed opening weekend of the playoffs in 25 years.
"Our Eastern Conference Finals was the most-viewed Eastern Conference Finals in seven years. Of course, it featured New York, but it was New York against Indianapolis, and it was the most-viewed Eastern Conference Finals in seven years."
Today, we live in an attention economy and the NBA has excelled at attracting eyeballs, especially on social media, where the international fanbase is at an all-time high, accounting for 70 percent of the league's social media following, with half of that audience under the age of 25.
"Overall, our playoffs this year are up versus last year, and on top of that, our social and digital engagement is at record levels," Tatum said.
"So, because of digital and social media, our teams, their star players, regardless of what market they play are household names and not just across the U.S. but globally. So, these playoffs have delivered some incredible basketball and I expect the Finals to drive strong interest from a global audience."
The league's push to both democratise and globalise the game is working and the Pacers and Thunder being in the Finals perfectly embodies that.