From the moment the 2024-25 NBA season tipped off in October, it was all leading to June and the NBA Finals. After seven months of regular-season basketball and an electrifying postseason, the and are the last two teams left standing.
The Thunder soared past the in the Western Conference finals, winning the series in five games — four of which featured 30-plus point outings from NBA MVP . This is the Thunder’s second Finals appearance, and it would be their first NBA championship as the Oklahoma City Thunder. (The Seattle SuperSonics franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and won a title in 1979.)
The Pacers, led by Eastern Conference finals MVP and a historic Game 4 performance from , clinched the East with an entertaining six-game series against the . This is the franchise’s second Finals appearance, and if it prevails, it would be its first NBA title.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), our NBA experts make their picks.
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(4) vs. (1)
Jerry Bembry: Thunder in 6
Tim Bontemps: Thunder in 5
Chris Herring: Thunder in 5
Zach Kram: Thunder in 5
Bobby Marks: Thunder in 5
Dave McMenamin: Thunder in 6
Neil Paine: Thunder in 5
Kevin Pelton: Thunder in 5
Omar Raja: Thunder in 5
Ramona Shelburne: Thunder in 5
Andre Snellings: Thunder in 7
Marc Spears: Thunder in 7
Jeremy Woo: Pacers in 7
Michael C. Wright: Thunder in 6
Ohm Youngmisuk: Thunder in 6
Final tally:
Oklahoma City 14, Indiana 1
