Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Pacers packing in an epic Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals to take home their first Larry O'Brien Trophy of the Sooner State era.
Now, they'll be visiting Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Indiana's season opener on Thursday night, a matchup that will be aired in primetime on ESPN.
While fans and pundits alike are excited to witness this must-watch championship rematch, Pacers star Pascal Siakam isn't quite sure what to think during these dwindling hours leading up to tip-off.
Pacers star admits rematch against Thunder brings up 'bad memories'
When asked by reporters how he anticipates he'll respond when facing off against the Thunder, the three-time All-Star admitted that while he thinks "it always feels good" to get a second shot at a team that bested you, he personally doesn't know how he'll feel once the game starts.
"Obviously seeing a familiar face and somebody that made you endure pain for a whole summer, I think you want to go out there and compete. It's going to be bad memories for the most part," Siakam said.
Though this matchup may seem like a straightforward rematch, it's important to understand that there will be many notable differences for both parties involved.
For the Pacers, they'll be without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who unfortunately tore his Achilles tendon in the opening quarter of last year's Game 7. Sadly for them, he is expected to miss all of the 2025-26 campaign.
Their starting unit will also be missing Myles Turner down at the pivot, as he bolted in free agency for the Milwaukee Bucks.
As for the Thunder, it was already expected that All-NBA forward Jalen Williams would be sidelined for the contest as he continues to rehab from offseason wrist surgery. His timeline for return is still unknown.
However, adding to their injury report, as of Thursday afternoon, they will also be without Alex Caruso (concussion), Cason Wallace (knee), Isaiah Joe (knee), and Kenrich Williams (knee).
Good news is that Lu Dort (ankle) has officially been made available.
Including their title-round matchup, the Thunder and Pacers squared off against one another on nine separate occasions, with the former pulling away with a 6-3 record.
Heading into this go-around, OKC is favored to win at -305, though, with the home crowd advantage, Siakam is coming in aiming to "fight" and "put on a good show" for the Pacers fans in attendance.
Regardless of the differences between the state of these two teams compared to four months ago, excitement among both fan bases should remain just as high.