The NBA Finals kick off this Thursday on Friday night, with the Pacers and the Thunder battling for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. According to NBA odds and the majority of analysts, the team from Oklahoma City has a better chance of winning the trophy, but in the NBA, nothing is certain.
On one side, we have the new NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who polarizes the fans. Some love him; others think he is a foul merchant. And indeed, he is both, to be honest. On the other side are the Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton, who is also creating opposite opinions.
He’s recently been voted as the most overrated basketball player in the league. However, playoff performances suggest otherwise.
All in all, this should be a fun series to watch. For more NBA odds, follow this link.
How do the NBA Finals Work?
The first team to reach four wins wins the title. The first two games are played in Oklahoma, the second two in Indiana, and then the hosts are switched subsequently until Game 7, which is in Oklahoma. If necessary.
Check out the full official schedule of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV before the action gets underway tomorrow! 🍿
Pacers/Thunder Game 1: Thursday, June 5th at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/r5wY3Y3y3y
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2025
Now more about the teams.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies in 4 games, then the Nuggets in 7, and the Timberwolves in 5. In all of these events, we’ve seen them being highly adaptable to any circumstances. If they had to play high-scoring matches, they scored 120 points or more. If the situation demanded harsh defense, they held the rivals under 100 points.
This is one of the youngest teams to reach the NBA Finals, and its energy is astonishing. Sure, there was some controversy surrounding them, like Shai’s trips to the foul line or Caruso’s “boxing” defense, but we can’t neglect the fact that Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren play fantastic basketball both offensively and defensively.
Williams adds 20.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds with 5.3 assists, yet he is relentless on defense. Holmgren is very mobile for a big guy and is clever enough to exploit any defensive weakness the rivals have. Plus he adds 2 blocks per game.
Shai is Shai. His ISO game is deadly, regardless of whether he draws a foul or goes all the way. Many didn’t notice that he averages 6.9 assists per game in the playoffs. Now, that’s a new quality and one of the reasons why OKC plays in the finals.
Indiana Pacers
Rick Carlisle’s unit has six players with 10 or more points. Basically, you don’t know which player to guard. Plus, Obi Toppin and TJ McConnell average more than 8 points. This diverse offensive system has eliminated the Bucks, the top seed in the East, the Cavaliers, and eventually, the Knicks. Whoever got into a shootout with Indiana didn’t go well. To be honest, the Knicks tried to slow down the tempo yet failed to win anyway.
Haliburton has a very good playoff campaign. He scores 18.8 points, has 9.8 assists, and 5.7 boards. And just 1.9 turnovers per game in 35.1 minutes, which is excellent.
However, we want to talk about Pascal Siakam too. He was the East finals MVP. This veteran scores 21.1 points in the playoffs and is the offensive “exit” player for the Pacers when they are in trouble. Just put the ball in his hands, and everything is sorted out.
The Pacers aren’t that dominant on the glass, as they average only 39.6 boards but have 28.1 assists, which is pretty darn good.
Predictions
If you ask us, Oklahoma’s tougher defense is their edge. OKC knows how to play fast basketball and they can compete with the Pacers in that area. However, their defense is far better, which is why we believe OKC will win this series in six games.
