2025 cbhsports NBA Finals Preview

Image Courtesy: The Oklahoman

2025 NBA Finals
1.Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14)
4.Indiana Pacers (50-32)

Schedule
*If necessary*
Game 1: June 5, 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Oklahoma City; Paycom Center)
Game 2: June 8, 8 PM ET, ABC (Oklahoma City; Paycom Center)
Game 3: June 11, 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Indianapolis; Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
Game 4: June 13, 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Indianapolis; Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
*Game 5: June 16, 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Oklahoma City; Paycom Center)*
*Game 6: June 19, 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Indianapolis; Gainbridge Fieldhouse)*
*Game 7: June 22, 8 PM ET, ABC (Oklahoma City; Paycom Center)*

The NBA season concludes in the next few weeks with the NBA Finals between the Western Conference champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Eastern Conference champions, the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder went 68–14 in the regular season, setting an all-time franchise record after dominating throughout. They swept the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies to open the Western Conference Quarterfinals before facing the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić, the runner-up for this season’s NBA MVP Award. The winner of the award was Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The former Kentucky Wildcat led his team through a tough seven-game series against their division rivals. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged nearly 30 points and 4 assists throughout the playoffs.

The Thunder then advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were making their second consecutive appearance after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the same round last May. Western Conference Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Luguentz Dort, helped the Thunder prevent the Timberwolves from reaching the NBA Finals again, closing the series in a gentleman’s sweep (five games).

On the other side of the bracket, the Indiana Pacers eliminated their Central Division rival, the Milwaukee Bucks, for the second consecutive season in the first round before dispatching the East’s top seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers—another division rival of the Pacers, who had competed with the Thunder for the league’s best record for much of the regular season. The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year after beating the Cavaliers in just five games.

Indiana forward Pascal Siakam, who won an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, helped lead his team to the Finals and earned Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors with terrific performances throughout the series against the New York Knicks, an old rival the Pacers have faced many times in this round in the past. Siakam scored 39 points in Game 2, 30 in Game 4, and 31 in Game 6 to close out the Knicks in six games.

It wasn’t all on Siakam, though. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton starred in their comeback win in Game 1 and followed up with 32 and 21 points in two more victories in games 4 and 6 respectively. Outside of Siakam and Haliburton, the hot shooting of Aaron Nesmith will be essential for Indiana during potential cold spells. Additionally, big men like Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant will need to contend with the talents of the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on both ends of the court.

Bench guards such as Indiana’s T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin will be expected to provide key minutes for Haliburton and Nesmith. Likewise, Oklahoma City will look to Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe to spell Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. Jalen Williams is the Thunder’s second scoring option on the perimeter, and Lu Dort remains one of the best wing defenders in basketball. It will be up to versatile pieces like Jarace Walker and Obi Toppin for the Pacers to deal with Williams, Dort, and the three point shooting of Joe.

With that being said, I feel confident in picking the Thunder to win the NBA Finals in six games over the Pacers. If they can hold Siakam from getting in the paint and attempting the shots he wants to take, it will be easy to stymie the Pacers offense if Haliburton and Nesmith’s shooting has gone cold.