Try GOLD - Free
Stage Set For Stars To Play Lead Role
The Straits Times
|June 05, 2025
Haliburton, Gilgeous-Alexander can cap defining season by clinching championship
-
OKLAHOMA CITY - Powered by young star talent and deep rosters, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers open the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals on June 5 (June 6, Singapore time), each trying to bring their city a first-ever crown.
Oklahoma City, fancied by bookmakers after an NBA-best 68 regular-season wins, will host Game 1 in the best-of-seven championship series.
Both teams are fast-paced squads with young star point guards, 26-year-old NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Indiana's 25-year-old Tyrese Haliburton.
The Pacers seek the first NBA crown in their 58-year history while the Thunder, who moved from Seattle in 2008, took the franchise's only title as the SuperSonics in 1979.
"It's a new blueprint for the league. The years of the superteams and stacking, it's not as effective as it once was. The new trend now is kind of what we're doing. OKC does the same thing. Young guys, get out and run, defend and use the power of friendship," Pacers centre Myles Turner said.
This story is from the June 05, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Straits Times
The Straits Times
Pereira favourite to replace sacked Dyche
Nottingham Forest have sacked Sean Dyche after only 114 days in charge, with a goalless English Premier League draw against bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers on Feb 11 proving to be his final match as the manager.
2 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Kim Jong Un positioning daughter as successor: Seoul spy agency
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be taking steps to consolidate his daughter's position as successor, and there are signs she is providing input on policy matters, South Korean lawmakers said on Feb 12, citing a spy agency briefing.
1 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Making your CPF work harder for a comfortable retirement
The CPF Board has finally started the ball rolling to procure a new long-term investment plan for its members after a decade, and this only serves to reinforce the well-known fact that its basic 2.5 and 4 per cent interest rates are hard to beat.
4 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Bill passed requiring midterm voters to prove they are US citizens
Democrats say measure concentrates electoral power in President Trump’s hands
2 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Grab posts first full-year profit of $338m
Grab swung to a net profit of US$268 million (S$338 million) in 2025, from a loss of US$105 million in 2024, its first year in the black after a record fourth-quarter performance.
2 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Companies to receive tax deductions on spending on AI tools
Businesses will soon receive tax deductions on spending on artificial intelligence (AI) tools, as part of a concerted push by the Government to encourage adoption of the technology.
2 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
‘OUTSIDER’ BRIGNONE ROARS AT HOME
Italian takes super-G gold after double leg fracture and a torn ACL to complete full set
3 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
YAHAGI COOL AND COLOURFUL AS USUAL
Trainer absorbing pressure of high stakes of Forever Young’s historic 2nd Saudi Cup bid
2 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
Singapore wants to leap from Smart Nation to AI Nation. The hard part starts now
It is methodically putting the pieces in place, but companies and workers will determine whether the bet pays off.
4 mins
February 13, 2026
The Straits Times
S'pore stocks gain more ground as key index hits all-time high
Singapore stocks ended higher on Feb 12 as regional indexes mostly tracked lower.
1 mins
February 13, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size