The 2025 NBA convention finals have tipped off, with 4 groups preventing for a spot within the Finals.
The No. 1 seed Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, after a tricky seven-game collection towards the Denver Nuggets, kicked off the Western Convention finals Tuesday evening. They defeated Anthony Edwards and the visiting No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in Recreation 1 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s 31 factors.
Within the East, the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers accomplished an inconceivable comeback towards the No. 3 seed New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Sq. Backyard after Tyrese Haliburton made a tying discipline purpose on the buzzer of the fourth quarter to power OT. The Knicks and Pacers will look to make their first Finals look since 1999 and 2000, respectively.
As these elite groups face off, our NBA insiders break down their largest takeaways from each matchup and what to observe for in each convention showdowns.
Bounce to a collection:
Pacers-Knicks | Timberwolves-Thunder
Extra protection:
Schedules and outcomes | Offseason guides
Jap Convention
Recreation 1: Pacers 138, Knicks 135 (OT)
Within the aftermath of the newest wild Indiana Pacers comeback of those NBA playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton, who’s rapidly inserting himself within the pantheon of New York Metropolis villains, glanced at just a few assembled reporters and workforce personnel within the locker room and smiled.
“It is gotta be the footwear,” he stated.
Haliburton, a scholar of NBA and Knicks-Pacers historical past, knew precisely what he was doing. In one other period of NBA basketball, Michael Jordan — earlier than he grew to become a New York supervillain — did a Jordan shoe marketing campaign with Knicks superfan Spike Lee constructed round that line.
And on an evening the place so many former legends from this rivalry’s previous — from Reggie Miller to Larry Johnson to Patrick Ewing to Lee himself — have been inside Madison Sq. Backyard, Haliburton and the Pacers authored one more outstanding escape from defeat with a efficiency that will not be forgotten anytime quickly.
Over the previous 27 NBA playoffs, groups had a 0-1,414 document when trailing by at the very least 9 factors within the remaining minute of the fourth quarter or additional time, in keeping with the Elias Sports activities Bureau.
Now, make that 1-1,414, after Wednesday evening’s all of a sudden thrilling Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention finals between the Pacers and Knicks.
“We simply proceed to do it time and time once more,” Pacers ahead Aaron Nesmith, the catalyst of this comeback, stated afterward.
To say that the sellout crowd inside Madison Sq. Backyard was shocked by the Pacers erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to flee with a 138-135 additional time victory is an understatement. However for anybody watching this NBA postseason, it is not completely shocking that Indiana pulled off this unbelievable accomplishment.
As Nesmith stated, the Pacers have made a behavior of it.
“That is very troublesome to do,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated, “but it surely’s a 48-minute sport.”
No workforce has embodied that mantra greater than Indiana in these playoffs. There was the comeback from down seven with 34.5 seconds to go to beat the Milwaukee Bucks within the first spherical. There was one other from down seven within the remaining 50 seconds within the convention semifinals towards the Cleveland Cavaliers. However this end, with the Knicks fan base recent off the jubilation of reaching this spherical for the primary time in 1 / 4 century — and New York seemingly placing the sport out of attain by the primary 45 minutes — is Indiana’s most spectacular but.
Jalen Brunson bought wherever he needed on the ground. Karl-Anthony Cities was hitting from 3-point vary. Mitchell Robinson was unstoppable on the boards.
However the Pacers, as Carlisle stated, are continually placing strain on their opponents with full-court protection just about the entire sport. They play at a frenetic tempo that forces their opponents to hurry up with them. And Haliburton credited Indiana’s entrance workplace for conserving this roster nearly fully intact after final 12 months’s run, giving the Pacers a uncommon commodity in immediately’s NBA: continuity.
The top consequence? A collection of comebacks, every yet another inconceivable than the final. And this one included maybe essentially the most inconceivable shot of all of them: Haliburton’s game-tying jumper to finish regulation that hit the again of the rim and went up within the air earlier than dropping by the ring.
“I felt prefer it bought caught up there,” Haliburton stated with one other smile.
The Knicks, and their followers, want it could have. As a substitute, it dropped by the ring and helped flip the sport into the newest unforgettable playoff second between these two franchises, who’ve performed essentially the most playoff video games (49) of any two groups within the NBA since their first assembly in 1993. And, due to how repeatedly the Pacers have escaped from these spots the previous few weeks, just one factor is definite:
Irrespective of the lead, the Pacers aren’t overwhelmed till the clock strikes zero. — Tim Bontemps
2:21
Haliburton recounts Pacers’ comeback with SVP
Tyrese Haliburton joins Scott Van Pelt to interrupt down the Pacers’ unbelievable comeback over the Knicks in Recreation 1.
Largest takeaways for the Pacers:
By no means rely the Pacers out. Regardless of trailing by 9 factors with 58.1 seconds, Indiana stormed again with a livid rally within the fourth quarter to steal Recreation 1, thanks to a different inconceivable Haliburton shot. The Pacers have now gained three video games this postseason when down by seven or extra factors within the remaining minute. Just one different workforce in NBA historical past has pulled off one playoff win in that situation (the Thunder in 2014). Aaron Nesmith hit six 3-pointers within the fourth quarter, tied for essentially the most in a single playoff quarter in NBA historical past, and Haliburton almost knocked down one other sport winner, with a step-back jumper on the buzzer on the finish of regulation, however his foot was on the road and it was dominated a 2-pointer to power additional time. Nonetheless, Haliburton grew to become the primary participant since monitoring knowledge started (1998) to document three game-tying or go-ahead discipline objectives within the remaining 5 seconds of the fourth quarter or additional time, in keeping with ESPN Analysis. — Jamal Collier
Largest takeaways for the Knicks:
You will rightfully hear people make comparisons to Reggie Miller’s eight factors in 9 seconds to assist the Pacers knock off New York on the Backyard again in 1995’s Recreation 1. Merely put, the Knicks blew a huge alternative to start this collection — the kind of sport you are not purported to drop, particularly on your own home ground.
Sure, large comebacks have been the Pacers’ calling card this postseason. (The Knicks’ calling card too.) However New York was dominant within the minutes the place famous person guard Jalen Brunson wasn’t on the ground, and given the Pacers’ perceived depth benefit on this matchup, that is not one thing we should always essentially anticipate to occur repeatedly on this collection.
The Pacers drew inside two, 94-92, with 10 minutes to go within the fourth as Brunson picked up a fifth private foul, forcing coach Tom Thibodeau to ship him to the bench. The Knicks then went on an inconceivable 14-0 run within the 2½ non-Brunson minutes that adopted, placing them up 16 and seemingly placing the competition out of attain.
However between the turnovers and the defensive breakdowns, they did not successfully shut the door. And it might show expensive, similar to it did again in 1995, when Miller helped the Pacers steal Recreation 1 that 12 months. — Chris Herring
Recreation 2: Pacers at Knicks (Friday, 8 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to observe:
Do the Pacers have any reply for Brunson? Even in a disastrous defeat, the Knicks ought to be inspired by how simply their main scorer bought to his spots in Recreation 1. It appeared like each guard and wing in Indiana’s rotation bought a while defending Brunson — and never one in every of them might reliably gradual the All-NBA guard. Brunson completed with 43 factors on 15-for-25 capturing, plus a game-high 14 free throw makes an attempt. It was the eighth 40-point sport of his playoff profession, setting a brand new franchise document.
The Pacers’ litany of Brunson defenders reads like a deleted scene from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Andrew Nembhard wasn’t fast sufficient to stay in entrance of Brunson. T.J. McConnell wasn’t large enough. Ben Sheppard wasn’t sturdy sufficient. And Nesmith fouled too incessantly. Nevertheless, the Pacers by no means discovered their “excellent.”
Indiana’s greatest protection towards Brunson was to get him in foul bother, forcing him off the courtroom for a big portion of the fourth quarter. However that is not a repeatable system towards a small guard who does not foul typically; Brunson has now performed in 78 video games this season and recorded 5 – 6 fouls in simply six of them (8%). Odds are, he’ll be on the courtroom for each vital minute for the remainder of the collection.
Maybe that will not matter if Nesmith continues his impression of peak Stephen Curry on the finish of video games. However Brunson’s offensive mastery appears much more sustainable, as Indiana by no means discovered a solution for his drives or pull-up jumpers in Recreation 1. Until the Pacers come upon a brand new answer, he might need a number of extra 40-point efforts. — Zach Kram
Western Convention
Recreation 1: Thunder 114, Timberwolves 88
Largest takeaways for the Thunder: Oklahoma Metropolis’s protection purchased the Thunder a half earlier than their scorers settled right into a rhythm. The Thunder trailed by solely 4 factors at halftime regardless of All-Star duo Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combining to shoot solely 4-of-21 from the ground. Then, that tandem seized management, outscoring the Timberwolves by themselves within the third quarter and mixing to attain 21 to permit Oklahoma Metropolis to take a double-digit lead. Chet Holmgren scored 9 of his 15 factors in a flurry early within the fourth quarter to maintain Minnesota at a cushty distance. The Thunder protection, the league’s top-ranked unit, remained relentless all through the sport. Oklahoma Metropolis held Minnesota to 34.9% capturing from the ground and compelled 19 turnovers that the Thunder transformed into 31 factors. — Tim MacMahon
Largest takeaways for the Timberwolves: When you instructed the Timberwolves that they might management the primary half and have Gilgeous-Alexander miss almost twice as many photographs (17) as he made (10) earlier than Tuesday, they might have preferred their possibilities in Recreation 1 of the Western Convention finals. There was one drawback: For the way efficient their protection was, their offense was equally inept. When you take away Julius Randle’s 28 factors on 9-for-13 capturing, Minnesota mustered simply 60 factors on 20-for-70 capturing (28.6%).
After constructing a 48-44 lead by the primary two quarters, it was hardly a sport after halftime. The Wolves led 60-56 with 7:22 to go within the third, and the Thunder responded with a 17-2 run to open up a double-digit cushion heading into the fourth. Minnesota’s bench assist was notably missing, with Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker combining to shoot simply 7-for-36 (5-for-28 from 3). Minnesota’s 23-year-old famous person Anthony Edwards tweaked his left ankle within the first half and completed with 18 factors on 5-for-13 capturing. The Wolves have a lot work to do for Recreation 2, or they will be watching a 0-2 deficit heading again house for Recreation 3. — Dave McMenamin
1:26
Anthony Edwards removed from greatest as Timberwolves lose Recreation 1
From a technical foul to aggravating an ankle damage, Anthony Edwards had a blended efficiency in Recreation 1 vs. the Thunder.
Recreation 2: Timberwolves at Thunder (Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to observe: Whether or not Minnesota can discover a approach to rating within the paint. The Timberwolves managed simply 20 paint factors, tying the fewest by any workforce throughout this 12 months’s playoffs. Minnesota was averaging 51.6 factors within the paint and was coming off 72 whereas closing out the Golden State Warriors in Recreation 5 final Wednesday — a playoff excessive for any workforce.
Remarkably, Oklahoma Metropolis pulled that off whereas downsizing. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault performed his double-big frontcourt of starters Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren fewer than eight minutes collectively — far lower than the 14.2 they’ve averaged within the playoffs, per NBA Superior Stats. And after utilizing Jaylin Williams to defend Nikola Jokic within the convention semifinals, Daigneault went to the smaller Kenrich Williams as a backup middle.
What Oklahoma Metropolis lacked in dimension, the Thunder greater than made up for with a swarming protection and packing the paint. Oklahoma Metropolis dared the Timberwolves to make 3s, very like the Nuggets did the Thunder within the final spherical. After Minnesota shot 5-of-11 from downtown within the opening quarter, the Timberwolves went 10-for-40 (25%) the remainder of the way in which.
Paradoxically, then, Minnesota’s greatest hope of scoring inside may be hitting extra photographs from exterior. The Timberwolves will certainly accomplish that. Minnesota has made 35% on 3s within the playoffs after rating fourth within the league at 38% in the course of the common season. We’ll see how correct the Timberwolves must be to tug the Thunder protection out of the paint. — Kevin Pelton
