History Will Be Made: 2025 NBA Finals Preview

NBA Finals Preview and Prediction

Today marks the start of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. A series that features two teams that have never won a championship, the first Finals to guarantee a first-time champion since Dwyane Wade and Shaq took down the Mavericks in 2006.

Although the Seattle Supersonics won in 1979, The Thunder don’t claim Seattle history (which makes no sense). The Pacers have never won an NBA title, but they have 3 ABA (American Basketball Association) titles under their belt from the late 60’s-early 70’s. Basically, neither of these teams has won anything in close to 50 years. Which I personally love as a basketball fan, small market teams competing is the best thing for leagues. Even if the casuals think it will hurt ratings, it makes for the best basketball, which is all I care about.

Oklahoma City Thunder Path

First Round – OKC Defeated MEM Grizzlies 4-0

One of the most lopsided series I’ve ever watched, like JV against the varsity. The Thunder swept the Grizzlies with an average margin of victory of 19.5 points.

Second Round – OKC Defeated DEN Nuggets 4-3

The best player in the world (Nikola Jokic) almost stole the series from the Thunder with a hobbled Nuggets squad. The Thunder come back from starting the series with a game 1 loss at home, to win a game 7 at home.

Western Conference Finals – OKC Defeated MIN Timberwolves 4-1

The series was never close. Minnesota matched up terribly with OKC and probably should’ve gotten swept. Thunder looked scary on D all series.

Oklahoma City Thunder Breakdown

The Thunder won 68 games this regular season for a reason. They have the best team and the best chemistry in the league, which is a terrifying combination for the rest of the league.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP and although I don’t agree with it, it was probably deserved.

But they don’t only have the MVP, they have one of the best defenses of all time. They forced 17.7 turnovers per 100 possessions this postseason, which is the highest mark for any team in the last 10 years. But they didn’t only turn it on for the postseason, during the regular season they led the league in defensive rating (106.6) and opponent field goal percentage (43.6%). They also probably led in dozens of other stats I didn’t name as well. When it comes to perimeter defense, no one does it better.

Oklahoma City Roster Breakdown

Stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who I’m just going to call SGA now because his name takes too long to type) and Jalen Williams (Who I’m just going to call JDub, because it’s cool) are the offensive engines that make this team go. Whether SGA is the most ethical scorer is highly questionable, but I honestly don’t blame the foul baiting on him, I blame it on the refs that call the fouls.

JDub has disappeared for a few games every series so that is something to watch for. But anyway, both players made All-NBA teams this year and will have to have a big series for the Thunder to win.

Bigs: Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein

The bright skin duo couldn’t have more different skill sets. Chet Holmgren plays away from the basket and weighs about a buck-80 soaking wet. While Hartenstein plays around the basket and is a horse in the paint. But in all seriousness, Holmgren is a big reason this team has gone this far with his length and defensive versatility while also pouring in 15 points per game. These two will have to dominate the boards and defend at the perimeter to give the Thunder their best chance.

3 and D Wings: Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Casen Wallace, Aaron Wiggins

Man, I love these players. Every team needs players like this to compete for championships, and it seems like OKC has unlimited 3 and D guys off the bench. Every single one of these guys is elite as well. Having 5 elite perimeter defenders that you can throw at a star guard all game is exhausting and will play right into OKC’s hands.

Oklahoma City Keys to Victory

• Set The Pace - Oklahoma City is going to want to slow this game down as much as they can so they can play in the half court on offense and defense. Indiana plays best in chaos, so the Thunder will need to play at their pace and eliminate chaos to get Indiana to set up in the half court where they play like an average team.
• Dominate The Boards - It won’t be too difficult to win the rebounding battle against Indiana, but it will be crucial to win on the defensive and offensive glass. Hauling in more rebounds means you can dictate the pace of the game and make more possessions for your offense. Myles Turner probably still has flashbacks to last year’s playoffs when Hartenstein bullied him on the glass. They will need that again from iHart this series.
• Defend Against Pick-and-Roll - The Pacers run a high pick-and-roll almost every possession, which leads to switches onto bigs for Tyrese Haliburton. The Thunder have shown a willingness to let their bigs switch onto guards throughout the playoffs. To dominate the Pacers in the half court, I believe OKC guards will have to battle over screens and not immediately give up the switch. Haliburton feasts off bigs when they get their switch, so whoever Mark Daigneault throws at Hali, whether it’s Caruso or Dort, they will have to apply ball pressure and battle over screens.

Indiana Pacers Path

First Round – IND Defeated MIL Bucks 4-1

It seems like a yearly occurrence that the Pacers dominate the Bucks in the playoffs. This series wasn’t particularly close and was capped off by the first of 3 unbelievable comebacks by the Pacers (I was there).

Second Round – IND Defeated CLE Cavaliers 4-1

Pacers took down the number 1 seed cavaliers in 5 games. Things would’ve been a lot closer if it wasn’t for the miraculous game 2 comeback in Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell and company never recovered from the loss and Pacers won via gentleman’s sweep.

Eastern Conference Finals – IND Defeated NYK Knicks 4-2

No one gave the Pacers a chance against New York since they struggled to beat the inferior version of the same team in 7 games last year. They proved the doubters wrong and made Chalamet and Kylie Jenner cry on their way back to New York (Probably). The best comeback in NBA history in game 1 set the tone for this crazy series.

Indiana Pacers Breakdown

The Pacers won 50 games this year and rolled into the playoffs as a 4 seed. No one thought the Pacers had a chance to compete for the championship this year with their lack of stars and honestly just being from Indiana. I think if you asked 100 people from New York to point at Indianapolis on a map, maybe 20 would get it right. Anyway, the Pacers used the power of friendship and black magic to roll their way through the playoff field to the NBA Finals. Led by star Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers play a fast, chaotic style of basketball, that makes teams very uncomfortable. Known as one of the best offenses of all time, the Pacers have come into their own on the defensive end. Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard are lockdown perimeter defenders, which allows Tyrese Haliburton to hide on the worst offensive player and Myles Turner to protect the rim. Similar to the Thunder, the Pacers are also one of the deepest teams in the league, which will lead to an interesting matchup between these teams.

The Pacers used the power of friendship and black magic to roll through the playoff field.

Indiana Pacers Roster Breakdown

Stars: Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam

The Pacers have the most interesting pair of stars in the league. Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t need to score to affect the game, he uses his elite playmaking ability and chaotic play style to generate easy looks for his teammates. He is cementing himself as one of the best players in the league, but needs to add consistency to be one of the best of the best. Then there’s Pascal Siakam, I’m a known Siakam hater, and every time I criticize him, he scores 35 points, so I will continue to criticize him so the Pacers can win the Finals 😉.

3 and D Wings: Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard

These guys are making a name for themselves as some of the best wings in the league. Just on the defensive end these dudes are dawgs, locking down Brunson last series and will be tasked with SGA this series. On the offensive end, Nesmith showed the world what he was capable of in game 1, scoring 20 points in just over 4 minutes to catapult the Pacers over the Knicks. Nembhard, on the other hand, hasn’t had his breakout offensive game yet, but it’s coming…

Bench: T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, Benn Mathurin

Pacers rely on their bench for big minutes and a big portion of their scoring. Mathurin is the x-factor here, if he can have a couple big games, Pacers will have a good shot. I might be the biggest McConnell fan on earth, but I firmly believe the point guard play doesn’t fall off when T.J. subs in for Haliburton. Will need a big series from all of these guys if they want a chance.

Indiana Pacers Keys to Victory

• Set The Pace - Inversely to what I said for the Thunder, the Pacers need to play as fast as possible to stay in their comfort zone. They need to force turnovers and get out in transition like they have been all playoffs.
• Catch and Shoot Threes - Indiana must hit their catch and shoot threes. Oklahoma City is known to follow the ball handler into the paint and hope they can recover to the perimeter on kick outs. The Pacers will need to capitalize on these situations.
• Myles Turner - I know, I know, having a player be a key to victory is lazy, but Myles Turner must have a big series for the Pacers to have a shot. What makes Turner so intriguing is his ability to space the floor, pulling Hartenstein out of the paint will be crucial for the Pacers. But more than anything, he needs to hold his own on the glass. Mitchell Robinson dominated him on the boards last series, and it can’t happen again. The 10-year vet will have to come up big for his team.

My Prediction

Listen, as a big Pacers fan, I completely understand how good Oklahoma City is and how tough it will be for the Pacers to compete. It’s obvious that the ‘Cers are a huge underdog and rightfully so. They didn’t win 68 games this year and they don’t have the league MVP on their team. Everything points to the Thunder rolling to their first championship in Oklahoma City. But something in this universe wants to see the Pacers holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the series. Even taking my fandom out of it, this series is awesome for people who love good hoops.

Best offense vs. best defense. Fireworks all series.

Gimme the Indiana Pacers in 7 games.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments.

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