The Indiana Pacers waited 25 years to reach the NBA Finals again, and their journey this time was delayed by severe weather conditions. On Tuesday, their charter flight faced disruptions due to storms, first being rerouted to Tulsa, Oklahoma. After refueling there, the plane had to take a longer route around another weather system before finally landing in Oklahoma City about three and a half hours late.
When the team arrived around 7 p.m. local time, the skies had cleared up, but just an hour earlier, the area was under a tornado warning, flood watch, and severe thunderstorm watch. These weather alerts affected much of Oklahoma City and nearby regions while the Pacers were en route from Indianapolis. Heavy rain and strong winds caused interruptions at the Oklahoma City airport, leading to delays for multiple flights throughout the evening.
Both the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder were set to participate in NBA Finals media day on Wednesday at the arena hosting Game 1 of the championship series on Thursday night. This marked the Pacers’ first Finals appearance since 2000, and the Thunder’s first since 2012.
Pacers center Myles Turner expressed his focus on simply reaching this milestone. “You spend so much time thinking about getting there, but it’s like, you’re here now,” Turner said before leaving Indianapolis. “You didn’t really spend a lot of time thinking about, ‘OK, when I’m here, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ It’s like, ‘Let’s just get there.’ So now, that milestone has been achieved. It’s about doing something with the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, a tornado was reported near the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City, while the team was waiting in Tulsa. It remains unclear whether the tornado touched down or caused any damage. Tulsa, where the plane made its stop, is roughly 120 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
