The Indiana Pacers are officially on their way to the NBA Finals, and man, their trip to face the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 1 is already shaping up to be an adventure! Just when you thought the excitement of clinching the Eastern Conference title was enough, Tyrese Haliburton and the squad had a legitimate ‘hold your breath’ moment in the skies, escaping a major weather hazard.
So, get this: the Pacers’ chartered plane, en route to Oklahoma City on Tuesday for the start of the Finals, had to make an unexpected detour. Why? A freaking tornado warning near OKC’s Will Rogers International Airport! According to team sources and reports from The Athletic, their flight was diverted to Tulsa, about 110 miles away, after a tornado was spotted tearing through the area around 5 p.m. local time.
Thankfully, the team landed safely in Tulsa, and after a short delay (they were reportedly taxiing to leave Tulsa around 5:45 p.m.), they eventually made it to Oklahoma City. But wow, talk about a stressful start to your Finals trip! The whole situation apparently complicated travel for a ton of media and vendors heading to OKC, too, with severe thunderstorms forecasted.
But the Pacers, ever resilient, aren’t letting a little thing like a tornado scare dampen their spirits or their plans to get their fanbase absolutely hyped. The team made an announcement via an Instagram story that’s got Pacers fans buzzing. They’re hosting a “Drive Thru Gear Grab” at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, June 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. And the best part? They’re giving away free “Gold Out” t-shirts to the first 5,000 fans who roll through! The shirt looks awesome, featuring the Pacers’ “P” logo from the team’s City Edition uniforms with “Yes ‘Cers” emblazoned on it, alongside the all-important text: “Finals.” The rules are simple: you gotta be in a vehicle, and it’s one gear bag per car.
(This is a developing story…)
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