The 2025 NBA Finals pit the Western Conference’s top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) vs. the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers (50-32).
Indiana advanced to the NBA Finals on Saturday evening with a 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as series MVP Pascal Siakam netted 31 points.
The NBA Finals begin Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 pm ET (ABC), with OKC, a prohibitive betting favorite, to win the series. The Thunder advanced to the finals on May 28 with a blowout 4-1 series clinching win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named series MVP.
The Thunder won the regular season series 2-0.
2025 NBA Finals Full Schedule
(All times ET; all games on ABC)
June 5 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8:30 pm (Game 1)
June 8 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 pm (Game 2)
June 11 – Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 pm (Game 3)
June 13 – Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 pm (Game 4)
June 16 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8:30 pm (Game 5—TBD)
June 19 – Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 pm (Game 6—TBD)
June 22 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 pm (Game 7—TBD)
Both franchises are gunning for their first title, as the Thunder don’t claim the title won in 1979 by the Seattle Supersonics. Oklahoma City last appeared in the NBA Finals in 2012, with Indiana’s last appearance in 2000, when it beat the New York Knicks to advance.
Our Ballislife resident experts give our audience a quick rundown of what they feel will happen in this series and which team will ultimately hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy below:
Aya Abdeen, Ballislife Writer
Looking at how the Oklahoma City Thunder has stocked up on draft picks throughout the past few years while building through Shai Gligeous-Alexander, the NBA’s MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP, impressed me. Give credit to Sam Presti, the team’s general manager who has been with the franchise since they were the Seattle Supersonics in 2007 after spending seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant general manager, winning three NBA Championships. The Thunder had one of the best regular seasons in franchise history with their powerful scoring and setting their new identity. Gligeous-Alexander could be the first player to win MVP & Finals MVP since Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in 2015.
The Indiana Pacers, on the other end, have advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, in which I wasn’t even born until three years later (I am sorry if I had to make you guys feel old). Thanks to Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam being the game-changers for the franchise since being acquired through trades. The Pacers are having an impressive playoff run with their upsets across the league and Haliburton being phenomenal. Not to mention that the Pacers are 7-0 when Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is in attendance at home games.
I could see both the Thunder and Pacers battling it out in close games throughout the series. But, it will come down to crunch time and I think Indiana will take home its first championship in the city since their days in the ABA.
NBA Finals Prediction: Indiana in 6
Grant Afseth, Ballislife Writer
It’s always challenging to predict how well a team will shoot from the perimeter for a whole series, but there are some factors that make Indiana difficult to overlook. The Thunder deploy a smaller perimeter with plenty of players standing at or below 6-foot-5. If the team opts to go small, it will become challenging to handle Pascal Siakam on switches. If Oklahoma City stays big with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, Indiana’s ability to push the ball on the break should not be overlooked, which proved to be a factor I overlooked against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but continued to be a real problem for the New York Knicks.
The Thunder do not have many pure shooters, and their catch-and-shoot threats tend not to generate much rim pressure. A scoring champion hasn’t won a title since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000, which is likely due to the over reliance on a single threat to generate offense in a way that eventually a defense can solve to an extent. Will Indiana be able to do so? Perhaps the vastly experienced Rick Carlisle can construct a strategy to give the Pacers an upper hand.
The on-ball defense of Andrew Nembhard on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely prove to be a significant X-factor in this series. Considering both are teammates on the Canadian national team, perhaps Nembhard has a greater understanding of Gilgeous-Alexander’s tendencies than most. If Tyrese Haliburton can consistently make a star impact in this series, Indiana’s offensive output can hit the 110-point benchmark that the team has gone 12-0 when hitting. On the contrary, the Pacers are 0-4 when failing to score at least 110 points. Oklahoma City will surely make Haliburton see loaded gaps, and Indiana’s shooters will need to be ready to exploit that.
However, there is another part of this Pacers-Thunder matchup to consider.
The frontcourt will also be a significant factor in this series. Indiana has a lot of length in the frontcourt, with a shot blocker in Myles Turner, to help make things challenging in the half-court. If Oklahoma City often stays big, Chet Holmgren’s shooting execution will become vital since Hartenstein isn’t a spacer. Turner is likely to be the connecting presence to space the floor and defend. At the same time, Siakam’s current momentum as Eastern Conference Finals MVP and previous NBA Finals experience with the Toronto Raptors position him to outproduce Holmgren in a head-to-head matchup.
Prediction: Indiana in 7
Will Despart, Ballislife Writer
This Pacers’ playoff run has been nothing short of incredible, and it’s hard to bet against the experience coach Rick Carlisle brings to this series, having led the Mavericks on a similar run in 2011. However, the Thunder have been my championship pick for much of the season and I can’t turn back on that now. You don’t win 68 games in this league by accident, and you don’t make the NBA Finals in the most parity-driven iteration of the NBA in history by accident either. Just ask the 64-win Cavaliers, who ran into injury trouble and saw their historic season go up in smoke at the hands of this very Pacers team that Oklahoma City is now tasked with dispatching.
I knew for sure this Thunder team was winning the championship after the adjustment Mark Daigenault made defensively on the league’s best player, Nikola Jokic, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. I wrote then that the casual fan can see the advantage Oklahoma City has on the offensive and especially the defensive ends, but they can’t quite see what a juggernaut they have in the coach’s chair as well. Minnesota had no answer for Daigenault’s schemes or the ironclad roster that GM Sam Presti has built in the Western Conference Finals, and if there’s any young coach in the league who has the savant-like skills to walk down the legendary Carlisle in the NBA Finals, it’s Daigenault. I think Indiana wins two games and this goes to six, but like the Pacers’ win in six games over the Knicks, this series will never really feel like it’s going the other way. The Oklahoma City Thunder will bring an NBA Championship back to the Sooner State once and for all.
NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder in 6
Ronnie Flores, Ballislife Editor
Don’t listen to the big media and social spin that this matchup is bad TV and that the ratings will be low; this is terrific basketball to watch in its purest form. Both teams play fast, are in tremendous shape and have good depth. Sure, the Thunder handled Indy twice during the regular season, but you can throw the first game away. Indiana is playing on a whole other level now and if it wins the turnover battle, it will have a chance to win this series.
Sure, OKC’s defense did a number on Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards in the conference finals, but Ant has some bad habits, holds the ball a long time and his teammates are not in sync the way Tyrese Haliburton’s teammates are with him. Indiana will find a way to keep the first two games close, but if it doesn’t steal one of those two it will be in trouble. OKC’s defense is just so good and the best in the league by a sizable margin. It has five guys who realistically could be on all-Defensive teams, with Alex Caruso (the best off-season acquisition in the league) and Chet Holmgren being the key even though they missed too many games to get the recognition. Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard will have to play terrific for Indiana to get to a Game 6, but in the end OKC’s interior defense will do a number on Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner just enough to close on the road.
NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder in 6
Sara Jane Gamelli, Ballislife Managing Editor
Two things can be true. I’ve been preaching his elite the OKC Thunder are, and how underrated the Indiana Pacers can be. Contrary to popular takes, I love the matchup between these two teams. I still believe a healthy Boston team would’ve made their way here—however, the Pacers deserve to be here.
No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, this is a team that’s brilliantly coached by Rick Carlisle. Headlined by guard Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana has a ton of moving parts. Remember when the Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam, following the blockbuster trade that sent Haliburton to the Pacers for Sabonis? It all makes sense.
While everyone was honed in on the Celtics, Lakers, and other teams, the Pacers quietly built their team. This didn’t happen by accident, as Indiana made their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. Now they are headed to their first NBA Finals in 25 years.
What makes this Pacers so dangerous is the depth and versatility. It all starts with Haliburton, who’s proven he’s “Mr. Clutch” time and time again. Let’s not sleep on x-factors Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. I’m expecting Nemhard to be tasked with guarding the best on ball guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
There’s no question the Pacers lacked defense at times, ranking No. 14 in defensive rating and No. 9 in offensive rating over the course of the regular season. However, post All-Star break, the Pacers boasted the eighth best defense with a 20-9 record.
In the playoffs, we’ve seen the Pacers cruise by the Bucks (4-2), and most impressively—the Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1). Not to mention, defeating Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks (4-2). Throughout the playoffs, they’ve been one of the most powerful teams on the offensive end.
Now, they face a historically dominant team in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Knocking at the door for quite some time, this is a team that’s lead by MVP Gilgeous-Alexander. With a franchise best 68-14 regular season record, this is an organization that was dominant is several facets.
The top defensive team in the NBA, the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein were brilliant. Sure the Pacers have Siakam and Myles Turner, however the Thunder have an incredibly strong frontcourt duo in Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein.
In 16 postseason games against the Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Timberwolves, this is a Thunder team that’s suffered just four losses. While the defense is expected to stand out, don’t sleep on the role players. SGA may carry this team, however, Jalen Williams was a crucial x-factor, especially against Minnesota in Game 4 of the WCF.
The list of talent runs deep among this Thunder roster, and this is the most talented OKC team we’ve seen since the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden days.
The Thunder went an undefeated 2-0 against the Pacers, boasting a +27 point differential. While I love a good underdog story, I do think this Pacers team will put up a larger fight than most think. The Thunder are simple the most dominant team from top to bottom in the NBA. It’s been evident since the beginning of the season.
NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder in 6
Geoff Magliocchetti, Ballislife Writer
Those who whine that this Finals isn’t the umpteenth incarnation of Celtics-Lakers will curb their complaining once they see the inflated scores from two teams packed to the brim with offensive firepower. While that should make for some narrow contests, one team has just a little more to play for and that makes them more dangerous.
This is Oklahoma City’s top chance to win a title and it has certainly played like its fully aware of it in recent weeks. Easy victories over Memphis and Minnesota sandwiched a hard-fought seven-game set against Denver and the momentum of postseason honors for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should only provide further fuel. Most importantly, the Thunder know how fleeting one’s time at the top can be: the shared trip for Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook in 2012 was supposed to be the first of many such visits.
All that and more points things in a strong direction for the Thunder and dangerous time for the Pacers, who are grateful to be back in the Finals round for the first time in a quarter-century. Combined that with the fact that the Thunder are well-rested and watered and this series could prove exciting yet quick.
NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder in 5
Cameron Ross, Ballislife Writer
The Indiana Pacers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since 2025 began. They have done all the little things to prepare themselves and have knocked off several quality teams on their way to the NBA Finals. Indiana has erased multiple leads and battled through the playoffs on a nightly basis, but will square off with an OKC that beat them twice in the regular season by a combined 27 points. The Pacers play a fast and gritty style, but the Thunder’s depth and talent may pose a significant challenge.
Oklahoma City enters the Finals with the advantage of rest, having not played in over a week. The Thunder have been building towards this moment for years, acquiring numerous draft picks and boasting an MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While the Pacers are expected to fight until the final buzzer and likely cover the spread several times during the series, the Thunder will be too strong for Indiana, ultimately winning in five games.
NBA Finals Prediction: Thunder in 5
