Where do the 2025 Pacers rank among the most random finals teams ever?

[Regular_P]

The 2022-23 Heat was A LOT more random than this Pacers team.

 

[Baka's Weird Case]

Ironically the same EC finals matchup as this year.

Knicks 99.

Did they even have a single all-star?

That Knicks team was not your habitual 8 seed. We had injuries, and the shortened-season made it harder for the team to develop a chemistry. But once the playoffs started it was clear that we were way better than our record.

i think whats most surprising is they made the finals after ewing got injured early in the ECF

 

[Tribal Outkast]

Seems this has been happening a lot lately.. are they even the top random team this decade?

 

[Ducktales]

In retrospect, given they made the ECF last season, it's really hard to categorize them as being "random". They ran it back with the same playoff rotation and they made it one step further this time around.

Surprising, sure, but not random.

Facts. Nothing random about it. We just prefer the bigger market teams to be in the finals it didn’t work out that way at all lol

 

[Jazzy B.]

It’s not really random

Pacers made the ECF last year and actually challenged Boston (3/4 games Boston won by a max of 5 points).

Two of the teams they beat this year they also beat last year in the Knicks and The Bucks.

This year Boston just got eliminated before the Pacers met them which made it easier to make the finals.

Pacers are really like Boston in 2022. Where they had a bad start but after the new year had the best winning record and then got to the finals.

 

[cobra]

2020 and 2023 HEAT

 

[Harry B]

Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were both All Star caliber players

That team clicked and got hot late in the regular season and into the postseason that year

I mean nothing is random when your team reaches the final at the end of the day. It’s 7 (5) game series, not like the NFL where the wind might blow in a perfect direction for you in 3 games.

But like I said, first team I think of without any accolades (awards) in the season or the one before and a mediocre record. So it was surprising.

Even Heat had Bam and Jimmy at all-star, all-nba, all-defense, Herro won Sixth man etc.

 

[badboys11]

94 95 Houston rockets might've been the defending champions but they traded for Drexler and only made the #6 seed


Went down 2-0 to the jazz in the first round

Went down 3-1 to the suns next


That's gotta be the most improbable random finals run

2023 heat was wild also

 

[jerniebert]

Pacers have been playing the best basketball in the playoffs.

 

[EarlyEarly]

Knicks would have been more random if they won

 

[Jim Cornette]

2019 raptors

 

[mastermind]

94 95 Houston rockets might've been the defending champions but they traded for Drexler and only made the #6 seed


Went down 2-0 to the jazz in the first round

Went down 3-1 to the suns next


That's gotta be the most improbable random finals run

Only reason I wont include them is they were the champs and they were playing elite ball with Drexler as the season concluded.

I think they went down 0-2 to the Suns the year prior as well On their home court with an all time collapse in game 2.

 

[RubioTheCruel]

It’s not really random

Pacers made the ECF last year and actually challenged Boston (3/4 games Boston won by a max of 5 points).

Two of the teams they beat this year they also beat last year in the Knicks and The Bucks.

This year Boston just got eliminated before the Pacers met them which made it easier to make the finals.

Pacers are really like Boston in 2022. Where they had a bad start but after the new year had the best winning record and then got to the finals.

Mazzulla said the Pacers were the toughest team the Cs had to deal with last year. Just needed a little seasoning

 

[IIVI]

Reminder, only twice has an NBA team not ranked in the top 3 won the NBA Championship.

Russell Celtics #4
Olajuwon Rockets #6

Indiana is the #4 seed.

 

[Street Knowledge]

In retrospect, given they made the ECF last season, it's really hard to categorize them as being "random". They ran it back with the same playoff rotation and they made it one step further this time around.

Surprising, sure, but not random.

They had a top record in 2025 heading into the playoffs and made the ECF last year. Wasn’t the expectation but to imply they shouldn’t be here is stupid.

It’s not really random

Pacers made the ECF last year and actually challenged Boston (3/4 games Boston won by a max of 5 points).

Two of the teams they beat this year they also beat last year in the Knicks and The Bucks.

This year Boston just got eliminated before the Pacers met them which made it easier to make the finals.

Pacers are really like Boston in 2022. Where they had a bad start but after the new year had the best winning record and then got to the finals.

But People were shytting on that ECF run last year because they beat the Bucks without Giannis and the hospital Knicks in 7.

They were viewed as fraudulent