With behind-the-scenes drama and on-court twists and turns, you could have sworn this playoff season was no less than a script out of a telenovela. And this season keeps getting better, as two teams not many predicted would be in the finals are set to face off for the biggest prize. Truly a once in a once-in-a-generation moment, both the Pacers and the Thunder were excluded from the Christmas Day games last year.

And while only one of Haliburton and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander will emerge victorious, the two have another collaboration coming up. Back in October 2024, Netflix released a 10-episode documentary following the progression of five NBA stars through the 2023-24 season. It showed glimpses of the off-court lives of the athletes and rare audio clips from the games, providing an insight into the games beyond the press conferences.

The first season followed LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, and Domantas Sabonis. So, when they announced that this time the cameras would be rolling a second time with a brand-new cast, everyone was excited. And according to Shams Charania, the two potential messiahs of this year’s NBA Finals will both be seen in season 2.

Joining them would be Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown. With the Finals knocking at the door, Evan Sidery’s recent post on X gave us another update on the script. So, it seems the rising young stars from the two finalists, SGA and Hali, are the main attraction of the show. As Sidery wrote, “Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’ series will now be headlined by a Finals matchup with two co-stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton.”

Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the star-studded cast will give us plenty of insider drama. With the two leading names for OKC and the Pacers, the audience will get to see their career-defining season from the stars’ perspective. Contrasting SGA’s calm and collected demeanor with Tyrese’s frenetic approach is going to be a treat for fans. With two smaller teams competing for their first title, let us now see how the two’s chances look like.

With both OKC and the Pacers at the finals, who will grab the championship?

Ending a twenty-five-year NBA final drought, the Pacers are more than ready to make it a reality. After their victory over New York, Haliburton emphasized the significance of this moment, “It is really a special thing that happened 25 years ago, I wasn’t even six months old…There’s a lot of fans who have never seen success from this organization, especially people around my age. They weren’t alive for it.”

The last time Indiana made it close to the finals, they got knocked out by the late Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. And it has been an uphill battle ever since. However, Rick Carlisle seems determined to make this one count. The Pacers’ coach, in an effort to keep the momentum going, has banned all locker room celebrations. He said, “This is no time to be popping champagne”.

While a little harsh, Carlisle is right on the money with his young roster, led by Tyrese and Siakam. But the Thunder houses the league MVP, SGA. They also have the superior team on paper, and are most people’s favorites for the title. However, the NBA has given resulted in bigger underdog stories, and Haliburton and co. will be well aware of that when they step out on the court.