Think of the Chicago Bulls, who feature Nikola Vučević. He can shoot but cannot defend the rim. Think of the Atlanta Hawks, whose bigs can defend the rim but cannot shoot. You can get paid handsomely to do one or the other, but can you win on the highest level? Not if the most recent champions are indicators.

The Thunder evened the 2025 NBA Finals at 1-1 with a 123-107 Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers. It was another must-win scenario that the title favorite aced. That's been a common theme these playoffs.

The Indiana Pacers simply couldn’t wait to get home early Monday. There’s a slew of possible reasons for that.