It’s the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, and the series starts with Game 1 on Thursday in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The Thunder can in their first championship since 1979 when the franchise was the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Pacers can win their first title since joining the NBA from the ABA in 1976.

At KU, Collison helped the Jayhawks to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2002 and 2003. As a senior, Collison averaged 18.5 points and 10 rebounds a game. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American.

Neither is a luxury tax team nor built with max free-agent signings. Each acquired its cornerstone player — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton — through trade.