2025 NBA FINALS
(1) OKC THUNDER v. (4) INDIANA PACERS
An NBA Finals matchup between the 68-win, OKC Thunder & 50-win, Indiana Pacers is aa beautiful thing for the game of basketball. Despite them both existing in small markets, roster construction/reliance on a variety of moving pieces makes each exciting in their own right.
Indiana, led by All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton & Pascal Siakam, is known for imposing a tremendous pace on the opposition. Meanwhile, OKC, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams & Chet Holmgren, dominates as a deadly defensive-minded units w/ the personnel to go off v. smaller or larger lineups. Coach Mark Daigneault has lots of depth to play with and is never shy to call upon a seldomly-used player for key minutes. The same could be said for Rick Carlisle, however - Indy’s legendary coach made some key adjustments to help earn a title shot.
On paper, OKC is a pretty large favorite…good thing Indiana doesn’t mind. The Pacers truly believe their uptempo style & similarly deep, offensive-minded group has an edge. Whether true or not, basketball fans are in for a treat. At the end of the day, SGA’s matchup advantage over countryman Andrew Nembhard could prove a subtle difference.
Unless Nembhard AND Ben Mathurin significantly step up offensively throughout the series, Chet/JDub/Alex Caruso/Lu Dort/Cason Wallace will set a devastating, “breakneck” tone (on the defensive end) and push towards a 5-6 game series (victory).
Here’s hoping for somewhere in the middle. Expect a huge Finals from Haliburton, Siakam, Mathurin, Nembhard, SGA, Chet, JDub & Wallace.
Series Prediction: The 2025 Finals will be decided in 7 games w/ OKC coming out on top.