Pacers’ Private Jet Forced To Land Due To Tornado Warnings

The Indiana Pacers were slated to travel to Oklahoma City on Tuesday in preparation for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. The weather has thrown a wrench in the Pacers’ plans.

As inclement weather rippled across Oklahoma, the Pacers’ plane had to be diverted from Oklahoma City to Tulsa due to tornado warnings. The plane circled Oklahoma City for a bit before heading to Tulsa to refuel. Nearly two hours later, they were finally able to land.

Teams usually arrive a few days in advance of the opening NBA Finals game to acclimate to a new environment and participate in media days.

The Thunder are hosting their first NBA Finals since 2012, while the Pacers are appearing in the Finals for the first time since 2000.

“You spend so much time thinking about getting there, but it’s like, you’re here now,” Pacers center Myles Turner said before the team left 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.”

There was at least one tornado spotted in Norman, Oklahoma, near the University of Oklahoma campus, on Tuesday afternoon when the Pacers were waiting things out in Tulsa. It was not immediately known if the tornado touched down or caused any damage.

Norman is about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. Tulsa is about 120 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.

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Article by James Van Wickler