Indiana Pacers have secured their spot in the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming just the fourth 4-seed team to reach the championship series since the playoffs expanded in 1984.
The Pacers join an exclusive club that includes the 2005-06 Dallas Mavericks, 2009-10 Boston Celtics, and 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers as the only fourth-seeded teams to advance to the NBA Finals in the past four decades.
Interestingly, none of those previous 4-seeds managed to capture the championship. The Mavericks fell to Miami Heat (4-2), the Celtics lost to Los Angeles Lakers (4-3), and the Cavaliers were swept by Golden State Warriors (4-0).
"Indiana has a chance to make history here," a basketball analyst would say. "No fourth seed has won it all in the modern playoff format."
The Pacers' unexpected finals appearance highlights the unpredictability of this year's postseason. Teams seeded this low rarely make deep playoff runs, with Houston Rockets being the only example of a team seeded even lower (6th) to win a championship when they swept Orlando Magic 4-0 in the 1994-95 season.
Can Indiana break the curse that has haunted previous fourth-seeded finalists? The upcoming series against Oklahoma City will determine if they can become the first 4-seed champions in the modern NBA era.
