Is it the Thunder vs Pacers in the NBA Finals? It doesn’t seem that way- more so meticulousness vs randomness. We’ve seen Mark Daigneault’s team deliver masterclass after masterclass based on how supreme their setup is. But we expected them to be here. Can the same be said about the Pacers? Absolutely not. They’re the dark horses this season. And they thrive on their randomness. If anything, it seems harder to do than being meticulous. After LeBron James experienced this first hand, he’s in awe of Rick Carlisle’s men.

What sets this Pacers team apart is their way of being the best in controlled chaos. That’s the way Steve Nash puts it. “Let’s not forget, a big word for the Pacers is random. So to the casual fan, random doesn’t mean a bad thing. Random means difficult to scout. They’re gonna go to the next action, they’re gonna play quick.” And Bron’s played against this team- just 6 weeks ago. Something about their “controlled chaos” just sat well with him.

“Yeah, like you just said, you just used the perfect word. It is controlled constant chaos. If you’re not like head on the swivel at all times, but also communicating and talking… there is constant movement. You have to have your head on the swivel… You have to be on point at all times. And the communication has to start way before the ball even crosses half court. You have to have all. You have to have ultimate communicators out there,” said Bron on the Mind the Game podcast.

So, what’s the idea behind this? They obviously can’t just be doing anything and hoping it works, right? According to Nash, it’s two things: Pascal Siakam being a ridiculous two-way player, and having players who can pick-and-roll.

“They’ve improved a lot. They’ve been year after year getting a little bit better because that was their weakness. You know, I want to give Pascal a lot of credit because both ends of the floor is a problem solver for them with his profile… They’re going to cut when you don’t think they’re going to cut… They’re going to put the five on the ball, make the three guard. They receive the pick and roll. Someone slips, who’s got him? Someone replaces,” said Nash on the pod.

But it isn’t Siakam doing the pick-and-rolls. One of their major improvements in defense is due to the sheer existence of Myles Turner. A while back, LeBron James named him as one of the three players he’s willing to take a pay cut for in case Rob Pelinka decides to bring him into the Lakers. That speaks volumes. And now, we know his secret.

LeBron James and Steve Nash notice Myles Turner’s versatility to be invaluable

Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers are changing the narrative – super teams don’t work like they used to. He’s been on the Pacers the longest – more than Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. For him, their secret is to let “young guys get out and run, defend and use the power of friendship.” Well, Turner doesn’t see himself on the pitch like we do. And when Steve Nash and LeBron noticed him this series – let’s just say that they were more than impressed.

“And when I watched this Pacers team, there’s a couple of things that stand out little many things. But Turner – he can roll and catch a lob. He can pop and shoot. But sometimes he short rolls so the big gets on his heels and then he pops back out to three. Like that’s so unique, right? I’m sure I doubt Rick was like, “Hey, why don’t you short roll then pop back out three?” He just saw he did it. It was like, hold on, keep doing that. So I always think it’s fascinating,” said Nash on the pod.

When Nash talks about Turner’s short roll, he’s describing an offensive wrinkle—but that very same versatility is what makes Turner a defensive difference-maker. Because Turner can step out and hit threes, opposing offenses cannot simply sag off him in pick-and-pop coverages. If the ball-handler tries to drive, Turner’s timing to “short roll” speaks of him wanting to contest in the paint—and then still recover out to the corner if needed. Fascinating, and like Nash said, unique.

This is just a fair warning to the OKC – that randomness will take an insane amount of time spent on films to counter. So it’ll be interesting to see how that meticulousness will go against controlled chaos. But for LeBron James and Steve Nash, Myles Turner might turn out to be the difference maker instead. Do you agree?