Pacers get perfect Game 7 fuel from Thunder’s parade plans

As the Indiana Pacers gear up to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, a viral video has hit the internet like a hail storm. It shows double-decker, open-top busses decked out in Thunder championship decals, presumably ready for a celebratory parade in OKC, should the Thunder take home the Larry O'Brein trophy.

This is probably a faily standard measure of preparation for a parade that could, in theory, happen within days. But it's also bad optics for a young OKC team with limited experience on this stage. It's way too early to crown the Thunder victors, and the last thing OKC needs is to provide extra motivation to a Pacers team with a knack for defying the odds when the pressure ramps up.

And, well, the Pacers know about the busses. Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle basically ignored a question about the game to comment on the video.

"I just saw a video that’s probably going to go viral, with open-top buses presumably for the parade, already painted with them as champions," he told reporters. "So that’s what I’m thinking about right now."

Thunder's premature parade busses hand free motivation to underdog Pacers

Indiana has exuded strong Team of Destiny vibes all postseason. After a crushing Game 4 loss, which bled into Game 5 and left the Pacers dead in the water, Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell led a rousing Game 6 victory in front of the home crowd.

No team has operated better under pressure. Tyrese Haliburton's lengthy highlight reel of clutch shots naturally garners the most attention, but Indiana has collectively thrived when the lights are brightest. Carlisle is a longtime coach with decades of valuable experience under his belt. Siakam has been on the Finals stage before. This is a team that knows how to handle adversity and offset the advantages of ,say, playing on your home floor in a Game 7.

Giving this Pacers team free motivation feels like a bad omen. We can't really blame the Thunder players or coaching staff for this bus debacle. Hell, who cares if the organization is chartering busses and calculating the parade route ahead of time? It's necessary prep work. Letting the video leak was a huge misstep, however. Now Indy has additional fire in its belly — one more reason to believe the broader basketball community does not believe in their ability to pull this out.

Carlisle has put on a masterclass all series. Indiana's defensive adjustments in Game 6 put the OKC offense in a chokehold. Mark Daigneault called it "humbling" to coach opposite Carlisle on the sideline. Not the 2011 champ has an edge. A manufactured, completely avoidable edge, with a veteran team looking to deliver the first NBA title in over 50 years of franchise history.

This is not to say the Thunder can't or won't win. But if Indiana does channel this motivation into a strong Game 7 performance and an improbable series victory, just know that video of the busses will go triple platinum and live on as a symbol of overconfidence.