NBA Finals: OKC and Indiana

The 2025 NBA Finals will crown a first time champion. One of these teams has been looked at as a preordained NBA Finals team all season. The other team has been riding a wave of momentum that they hope turns into a NBA Championship.

Thunder positives:

Oklahoma City has been a team on an historic tear through the NBA all season. The Thunder finished as the top seed in the Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the regular season MVP, is the straw that stirs the drink for the Thunder. SGA will be one of the guys that will certainly draw a ton of attention from the Indiana Pacers. Alexander averaged 32pts/5 rebounds/6 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field.

Defensively, the Thunder have locked down most teams all season. One of the key defenders in the Thunder arsenal is Luguentz Dort. Dort is a muscular, physical defender who will make the opposition “feel him” during the game. During the Western Conference Finals, Dort played Anthony Edwards straight up, fought around screens on Edwards, and hit timely shots for the offense. Anybody who has watched the Thunder knows the positives that Dort will bring to table.

Jalen Williams, one of the Thunder wing players, is the second option in the offense. If the Pacers let Williams get going then it’s going to be a long, but short series for Indiana. Jalen Williams earned both All-Defensive and All-NBA honors this season. Williams has tuned into one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why Oklahoma City has had the success they’ve had this season.

When Williams is on the floor with center, Isaiah Hartenstein, watch for the screen game with Hartenstein trying to bust Williams open for a shot. Hartenstein is great screener, solid frame, and is difficult to get around. Making open shots for Jalen Williams a much greater possibility.

Thunder bench:

Championships are won with having a great offensive system, defense, and contributions made from bench players. Oklahoma City can go 10 players deep on their bench to help give SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren critical rest. Who will give the Thunder that type of support?

Alex Caruso is going to be one of those players for the Thunder. Caruso’s defense in the Western Conference Finals showed how valuable he can be. Alex has won a NBA Finals Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers while the NBA was in the bubble during the COVID. Caruso knows what it takes to win a championship. While nobody else has that experience on the Thunder.

Pacers NBA Finals needs:

For the first time in 25 years the NBA Finals will be heading to Indiana for Games 3 & 4. With that being said, what will the Indiana Pacers have to do to pull off an NBA Finals upset?

Indiana wants to push the pace, get the opposition tired, and play some stifling defense. The Pacers have a top defense that will be trying to keep Oklahoma City from running away with easy buckets.

However, the two main cogs in the Pacer offense are Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Haliburton is the offensive straw that gets the Indiana offense going. Siakam has been the do everything forward that has really taken this Pacer team to great heights the past two seasons. When the Pacers need a bucket they go to Siakam. Siakam will get the defensive stop when needed.

Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith provide much needed physical play on defense and timely offensive scoring. If Haliburton and Siakam are the two stars on the Pacers, Nesmith and Nembhard could be looked at as the heart and soul of the Pacers. The NBA Finals will be a success if Nesmith and Nembhard can contribute like they have during these playoffs.

Aaron Nesmith constantly made Jalen Brunson work for every point he got. The physical play of Nesmith and of Nembhard on Bruson was a deciding factor in that series, however, it’ll be a contributing factor in this NBA Finals too. The other factor will be the how the referees call the game.

NBA Finals Officiating:

Will the refs allow for physical play like they have done all post-season?

If physical play is allowed then that’ll help players like Nesmith and Nembhard. However, if the game will be called tight then foul trouble will come into play for both teams. Staying out of foul trouble will be essential for both of these players. The Pacers have relied on the two players on both ends of the floor.

The one thing that I do not want to hear is anything about the television ratings. If you do not work for the network that is showing the NBA Finals just be quiet. We have two exciting teams, these are two teams that are phenomenal on offense and defense, and there are stars on both teams.

People that want to concentrate on what the ratings will be or how boring this series will be don’t know basketball that well. However, those type of fans are the casual fan, and they get swayed by the big city teams with big names. With this NBA Finals we get two great teams with a ton to offer the viewing fans.

At the end of the day, I see this going Oklahoma City’s way in six games. The depth of the Thunder, SGA, and the way they play defense will be the determining factors in getting their first NBA Finals Championship.

Michael J. Wilson-The Daily Waiver

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