Pacers Thunder Finals home court is only 1107 kilometers away

The NBA Finals will be staged a "close competition"! With the Indiana Pacers 4-2 eliminating the New York Knicks, they will face Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder on the Finals stage. American journalist Greg Harvey brings an interesting data: the straight line distance between the Pacers' home court, Gambridges Arena and the Thunder's home court, Paycom Center, is only 1,107 kilometers!

This set the "closest distance" record in the NBA Finals in 53 years. The last time the finals opponent was so close, it can be traced back to the distant 1971, when the Milwaukee Bucks and the Baltimore Bullets (the predecessor of the Washington Wizards) had a home game distance of only 1,032 kilometers. In that era when transportation was far less developed than today, it was possible to drive from Milwaukee to Baltimore for 9 hours. This is a "neighborhood battle" in the NBA Finals map, which often spans several states and flies for several hours.

The 1971 finals still bear a distinct imprint of the times. At that time, the NBA league was simply divided into the east and west, and there was no more complicated division final mechanism today. However, geographical proximity did not lead to a close competition. The Bucks, who have the young "Tian Gou" Jabbar, showed their terrifying dominance, swept Baltimore bullets with a 4-0 victory, winning the O'Brien Cup in the history of the team.

Jabbar, who was only 24 years old, completely dominated the inside in his first finals journey, averaging 27 points and an astonishing 18.5 rebounds. He won the Finals MVP (FMVP) without any suspense, writing a brilliant start to his legendary career.

More than half a century has passed, geographical coincidences have happened again. Pacers and Thunder, these two young teams that are equally energetic and well-known in team combat, are about to fight fiercely for the highest honor of the basketball world within a space distance of only 1,107 kilometers apart. Will this give birth to a new superstar crowned FMVP like in 1971? Or write a brand new legend of "nearly neighbors"? The fans' eyes have focused on this "close" showdown in the history of the NBA Finals.