Long journey ahead for Gilas Youth

Oklahoma City spent most of the regular season alone atop the Western Conference standings and just kept adding to its lead. Indiana didn't spend a single day atop the Eastern Conference standings and was still under the .500 mark in early January.

- By OLMIN LEYBA

Different paths, same destination.

It will be the Thunder and the Pacers squaring off when the NBA Finals start in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, a matchup of two clubs that weren't exactly on similar paths this season.

"When you get to this point of the season, it's two teams and it's one goal and so it becomes an all or nothing thing," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "And we understand the magnitude of the opponent. Oklahoma City has been dominant all year long - with capital letters in the word 'dominant.' Defensively, they're historically great and they got all kinds of guys that can score. It's two teams that have similar structures, slightly different styles."