NBA Finals 2025: From Loud City to Pacers Nation, get to know OKC and Indianapolis
That'll happen when your basketball teams go at it in the NBA Finals.
With the games scheduled across two-plus weeks, there's lots of time for those of us in the Big Friendly to get familiar with the Circle City. We, of course, are similar in our love of big-time professional basketball, but our cities, our fan bases and more are different.
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Let's speed up the learning curve.
We are Loud City. They are Pacers Nation.
We are Thunder Up. They are Yes 'Cers.
We are The 405. They are The 317.
We are hated in Seattle. They are hated in Baltimore.
We changed the name. They did not.
More: How original Paul George trade between OKC Thunder, Pacers created unlikely NBA Finals
They are Herb Simon and the Irsay family. We are Clay Bennett and his band of merry owners.
They are the Indy 500. We are the Land Run.
They are the lead car. We are a force of nature.
They are Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We are Devon Park.
We are Jocelyn Alo. They are Caitlin Clark.
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They are the NCAA. We are USA Softball.
We are the 2028 Olympics. They are the 2028 Olympic swim trials.
They are college basketball. We are college football.
We are Blake Griffin, Sam Bradford and Joe Carter. They are Oscar Robertson, Zack Martin and Oscar Charleston.
We are 'Kelvin Sampson is so great.' They are 'Kelvin Sampson can kick rocks.'
More: What impresses OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault most about Pacers, NBA Finals foe?
Indiana Pacers fans celebrate outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse after the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks, 125 - 108, in game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Indianapolis.
We are the Oklahoma Monarchs and the Oklahoma City Comets. They are the Indianapolis Clowns and the Indianapolis Indians.
They are Victory Field. We are Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
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We are Scissortail Park. They are White River State Park.
They are Central Canal. We are Bricktown Canal.
We are Cattleman's. They are St. Elmo.
They are the Children's Museum. We are the Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum.
We are Devon Energy and Continental Resources. They are Eli Lilly and Salesforce.
They are railroads. We are oil rigs.
We are David Holt. They are, well, no one has a mayor cooler than us.
We are Vince Gill. They are John Cougar Mellencamp.
We are Flaming Lips. They are Lily & Madeleine.
We are Color Me Badd. They are Babyface.
More: How did OKC Thunder get back to NBA Finals? Timeline from Paul George trade to now
Fans cheer during a watch part at Paycom Center for game 3 of the Wester Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
They are David Letterman. We are Bill Hader. (OK, he's from Tulsa, but he's a big Thunder fan, so we'll allow it.)
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They are Vivica A. Fox, Joyce DeWitt and Mike Epps. We are Olivia Munn, James Marsden and Kristin Chenoweth. (Again, she is from Broken Arrow but a huge Thunder fan.)
They are 'Hoosiers.' We are 'Oklahoma!'
We are Ralph Ellison. They are Madam C.J. Walker.
We are the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole. They are the Miami and the Delaware.
We are the Stockyards and cowboys. They are Municipal Gardens and corn.
We are the Oklahoma State Capitol. They are the Indiana State Capitol.
And during the NBA Finals, there's one more thing that all of us will come to discover.
One of us will be home to the 2025 NBA champ.
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The other won't.
More: OKC Thunder vs Indiana Pacers matchup breakdown. Who has the edge?
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NBA Finals 2025: Your guide to OKC, Indianapolis before Thunder-Pacers
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