Oklahoma weather throws Indiana Pacers a stormy welcome ahead of NBA Finals Game 1

Oklahoma’s erratic weather conditions laid down an unconventional stormy welcome for the Indiana Pacers as the team arrived for Game 1 of the NBA finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be facing the Pacers for their first championship victory after the franchise won its only trophy in 1979 as the Seattle Sonics.

The Pacers, on the other hand, have never lifted the championship trophy.

Oklahoma’s severe weather conditions disrupt the smooth travel of the Indiana Pacers, flight gets delayed by multiple hours

Game 1 of the NBA Finals has been scheduled for June 5, 2025, after fans got to witness some thrilling moments in the respective conference semifinals and finals. The Indiana Pacers entered the NBA finals after a couple of decade-long disappointing playoffs and conference finals since 2000, contrary to the Oklahoma City Thunder's entering the NBA finals last in 2012.While the players from both teams are hyped up and gearing up for some thrilling finale games, the weather conditions in Oklahoma dampened the spirit of the Pacers. It is not a very long flight from Indianapolis to Oklahoma. However, a severe thunderstorm warning in the city led to certain inconveniences faced by the Pacers team. The flight from Indianapolis took off at 3pm ET and was expected to land at the OKC Will Rogers International Airport in a few hours.

However, common to the region, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, which led to the chartered plane circling Northeast Oklahoma before landing in Tulsa. The flight was being operated by Delta Airlines. After refuelling at Tulsa, the flight took off, but this time, instead of taking a direct route towards OKC, it travelled towards the south, moving away from the storm. The affected areas were primarily the northern parts of Missouri and Kansas, all the way to North Texas.

Facing a long struggle of beating the storm and ensuring the safety of the players, the plane finally landed in Oklahoma City at around 6:58 pm CT after almost 7 hours. Also read: One thunderous threat looms over Tyrese Haliburton-led Indiana Pacers ahead of Game 1 of NBA FinalsOklahoma City is prone to such severe weather conditions involving thunderstorms, hail and destructive tornadoes. With the Pacers landing safely now, the only thing between them and the championship trophy is the winner of the Western Conference, the Thunder team. Individually considered as one of the strongest teams in the league, both the Pacers and the Thunder will be facing each other to claim the championship trophy, which will be the first one for both teams.