NBA Finals 2025 Preview – Pacers vs. Thunder

as well too. And it's only apropos if we come to this point of the of the NBA season, it's culminated that it arguably would be the two best playing teams that are going into the NBA Finals, and not simply because of the names.

And it's fun. Like I'm excited about, you know, the opportunities here. So uh, I just listen, I'm just excited to talk basketball, the NBA Finals or upon us. It's been a long, long and very interesting and peculiar season, and I think there's this apropos, if you will, that we're getting something that we didn't expect as the NBA Finals here in the jew.

me wrong. Look, you just weren't a believer in the Indiana Pacers and the makeup of this team in comparison to what we essentially have said were among the better teams. But what I am appreciating about what the NBA has done through the course of this year and what we're actually seeing with the implementation and the way that things have changed and evolved.

It was more of like it was a wake up call.

And it's not like we haven't seen that before. Now, with all that being said, we were kind of questioning whether or not, okaysee, was that team right because they underachieved last year. Right, people didn't buy into them being that number one seed. They come out to Gate, they're among the best teams going, and they hit a stump in a road a couple of times when they dealt with the Cleveland Cavaliers. People believed that the Cleveland Cavaliers were the best team.

they learned from the losses that they took. They came back and they just basically put a spanking on Cleveland, and then we said to ourselves, oh wow, Now the question is, are the Boss and Celtics, you know, in a position where they can actually repeat because it just looks like, if Okac is that kind of team, are the Celtics really about being that type of team to defend their championship?

Oklahoma City Thunder. For them to be as viable as a finals participant, they had to go through a roadblock, and that roadblock was one of the former champions into Denver Nuggets. I think that series proved to us that if they go out and do what they were put together to do, they would be one of the best teams in the NBA and would be one of the participants in the NBA Finals.

So this is smart team building, rafting, coaching, player development, all of the things, and none of these teams and it's not they won't be this way forever, but as of this NBA Finals, none of these teams, neither of these two teams are luxury tax players. That is amazing, and that is amazing, and I think you know, okay, see and Indiana, they they made really smart trades obviously, Okay, see getting SGA in Paul George trade. There's the Paul George angle down a lot of NBA twitter is hanging

on to as well too. These are two or two former Paul George teams as well. But then the Halliburton for Sabona trade you know, from Indiana, then they get Siakam the next year later, or what are the case they be? Like really well constructed teams who deserve to be here. And I'm not taking anything away from them anymore at all in any aspector or or any way for them because I love I love basketball. I love

that these two teams represent basketball. And while it's not the air quot sexiest finals in terms of market size or what are the cases be, these are the two best teams standing. And that's what you will.

fifteen deep if we have to write. They're players that showed up in this Western Conference Finals that you probably have not heard their names up until they got into the playoffs and their dagonault and you know, you can clearly tell that he's elevated himself as a coach and when he is implementing and deploying the roster and what he needs his guys to go out and do, and they're going out and doing it. The caseon Wallace's the Kendrick Williams. These dudes, you don't hear them all throughout

the but he's played them. He's played them if you were paying attention to them, and they found minutes. He found minutes for them critical situations where it was needed, not about just giving guys a blow, not out of necessity or desperation, but out of the strategic aspect of what the OKC thunder needed to do for them to win a game or win a series. And that to me,

it speaks bothers. And I give the same credit to Rick Carlisle when he felt like a matchup was not in his favor, even if he had marginally playable guys, he still put them out there with confidence that they are doing something that is going to benefit them when it came down to closing out that series against the New York Knicks, And that, to me is the kind of things you want to see coming into an NBA Finals.

Were all of these components that you're measuring up and trying to say who has the advantage of this that? And the third if it's not being shown or implemented any course through their run, it will always be a question mark and will always probably be against them if it's not being displayed at some point.

Nate Smith missed time, them hard miss time. So I think they, the Pacers and the thunder understood the need for a deep bench, but ultimately that allowed them to be trustworthy to those guys eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. You know, Thomas Ryant three threes, and you know in the close out game of Game six, you know, basically getting out of the doul drums of the Miami bench where he just wasn't getting any run and his big threes and thats since I kind of sent the tide,

especially in that first half. Like listen, I respect the roster construction, I respect the organizations that are in this NBA Finals, and I think I'll pick it back off of you what you said one more time. You know, be damned what any of all dependents are saying. Be damned what NBA fans are saying, like, Oh, this is gonna be a boring finals. I'm not gonna watch, cool, don't watch. I think you're gonna miss out on some

great basketball. But if that's your choice because you don't have the air quote mar Key guys or names that you're used to, this is exactly what the NBA wanted. They wanted the aspect of trying to bring in new blood and now having these small and mid market teams in the NBA Finals is an amazing case. VB. Is he overrated at this point? What more can you say?

He's made it to the NBA Finals with the team that is extremely well constructed, but it's definitely built in his image and his likeness and terms of his leadership and getting getting the pace up and down.

that both of these teams are manufacturing their points. Okay, let right now, like a lot of the really high ended, well respected analysts are looking at this as an offensive versus defensive matchup right like, because the Indiana Pacers are the kind of team that can run up one hundred and thirty points. But I want people to really understand

the Oklahoma City Thunder as equally as well too. We're are scoring north of one hundred and twenty something points, and a lot of it comes down to what they're forcing the other teams to not be able to do. And what we saw in this last series with the Indiana Pacers is they are finding ways for them to hit.

their own. But I want to see can the Indiana Pacers as equally reflect that same level of defensive intensity on a team that equals them when you look at the matchups and the way that they're situated and how these these offenses are executed, because to me, that could very much be a toss up, and then it really comes down to basketball IQ execution and better shot selection and decision making, which I will say I question the Indiana Pacers a lot more than I probably do the

Oklahoma City Thunder. But I'm gonna leave that part for you try to kind of kind of weigh in and chime in on, because through there we'll segue into where we see these X factors and the matchups and who probably has the advantage over who when it comes to the total roster, and then giving our picks.

terms of how we got here. Okay, see, as you said before and as we've said, forged by fire with the Denver Nuggets in that series, while the Pacers more or less have been able to i'd say truly dominate almost every one of their matchup six games, very close six games, and the game will probably turn that series around for them ultimately when the New York series or whatever. But you know, they they haven't been they haven't faced elimination yet, right, And I think you know that's that's

just a different situation than than Oka. See. But again, we still get here with twelve and four records, both teams who are offensively capable, defensively capable. In the end, I really turned up to the defense on this next

team and it's forced a lot of turnovers. And that's something that I think when when we come back to the break, something that will be a great part of the conversation to kind of figure out, you know, who's more reliance on their defense to turn into offense or who should be ultimately and who will be able to just kind of be able to sustain their normal offense, right, you know, can they run the half court offense and execute in a way that will be efficient enough in

essence to get w's in this series? So cannot wait dive into that conversation. But again, two teams twelve and four, very different, different different looks, but same results here NBA Finalists.

don't want to miss it here on the Baseline. We're back, Cali Warrenshaw based on NBA podcast NBA Finals Preview Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, and just before we hit our Breakshaw, you alluded to one of the things that I think was really important is which team is gonna have to heavily rely on their defense to.

speak to it on historical levels. I don't want to go as far as to say they were among they are the greatest defense that's ever played. I'm not really buying that because I think when you look at who you're playing against, the level of the competition that you're playing against, I think that speaks volumes.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, without question, to me, would be the team that offers the most consistency to come out and play defensive, intense basketball for forty eight minutes through and through, and even though the results may not speak to saying, Okay, you're holding a team to seventy points eighty points, it's the quality of shot and the amount of opportunities they're giving themselves in order for them to beat the other team that I think resonates with me.

And it's something that I wonder this series that we saw with the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. While the Indiana Pacers definitely improved as far as what they showed excuse me, defensively, I wonder if whether or not a lot of it as well too, just came down to who they were playing against and the fact that they weren't a tentative to details in not making themselves turn the ball over. So I wonder, now with this Oklahoma City Thunder team, do they nullify that aspect with the Pacers.

are they're getting based off of turnovers? Like they're scoring those points off of turnovers twenty four of those points. Indiana conversely getting nineteen points off off of turnovers. So what I'm interested to see here is that the fast breaking style of Indiana, while their pace, hasn't necessarily reflected everything that we think to be true about them, because right now they're at a pace off only ninety nine

throughout the course of the playoffs. Okay, see he's actually playing at a faster pace in the playoffs and roughly like one hundred point one. But in theory, Indiana is running up and down. Will that negate the opportunities for okac in as sin As to swipe, to strip, you know, to really stand guys up if you will, to double and you know, come from the weak side and strip a miles Turner if you think he's going to go over that right shoulder or whatever the case may be.

That's something I think that the Indiana Pacers and Carli Will will look at heavily. Do they really need to turn it up right? But sometimes you can play too fast, and playing too fast and also obviously lead to turnovers, so they won't be live ball turnovers maybe in essence, which Okaye obviously rely thries off of as well. But are they throwing the bounds, throwing the ball out of bound so to speak, and now all of a sudden

not getting as many possessions. That's something that I think will be a really really de dremning factor into how the playoffs or this finals will actually finish out. Conversly, though Indiana has been able to pick things up, and I think with them Hart and Nie Smith playing as well as they are at the point of attack, are they going to be able to force SGA to kind of give up the ball right and then will guys

be available in the passing lanes. This is a different series from Miles Turner, you know, I don't know if if it's more of the heart and sign or if he's going to be more on chet and then also Okay See likes to play you know, kind of like Chet out the five sometimes and then you know, allow them to have more spacing, you know, with some of those smaller guys because they just they're not worried about

giving up things defensively. That's where I'm just, I'm just I'm so intrigued at the cross matching of what Indiana is going to do defensively here to see if they can still get a leg up in the defense that I think has been much improved from where they were in December and January. Like, this is a much different team than they or you know, five months ago now, and will that be able to turn okay, see over and turn fast rate points in the favor of the Indiana Pacers.

this version of what we see with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, I will say this, if Nemhart can hang with SGA and if whether or not Nie Smith is going to have the responsibility of handling SGA more or maybe handling Williams more, because I see that being more of a matchup where athleticism plays into Nie Smith kind of bodying up Williams a little bit more and forcing Williams to probably be more aggressive, maybe take more shots. Only if Nemhart can hang with SGA. And this is why it's

such an intriguing matchup Shaw. The way that SGA plays his ball handling skills are so dynamically different than Jalen Brunson's. Shade gillis Alexander. Everyone is he. He's the free throw merchant and all that other stuff. I want people to really understand and pay attention. He is the kind of guy who is much more decisive about going to where he wants to go in a north south fashion that that will put Nemhart and whoever is going to be

on him on their heels. And if the Oklahoma City Thunder is moving like they are, Hartenstein, home Grin all those guys, that means that the Pacers have to be attentive. I mean to the last person moving and cutting, because when SGA gets inside, there is not a lot of room for ERA. It's not a question of you know, baiting and getting fouls. It's knowing that if SGA has gotten past who you have as your primary defender, all

hands have to be on deck. It's even Halliburton, and I'm not saying Halliburton is a compromise defensively, but all of these guys can wind up getting cheap fouls because SGA will deliberately get to a place that will, though will make your defense vulnerable. And that's what I'm intrigued by because there is a maturation process that gets elevated now because you're not dealing with the same kind of backcourt play that you just finished playing in the six game series with the Indiana Pacers.

take effect? Right? Like who does heard signed really guard, you know, with in the Inna on the Indian the side, if it's Turner, awesome, right, but if a great sorry, is Ischet a great match up for I don't I don't know, right, So I think that might be more J. J. Dubb who probably takes that assignment on on a more regular basis. And then that's does not allow Check to hang out on like uh like a Nie Smith per se,

like you know what I mean. So those are things, but they remember they're gonna play a majority of those guys, So who wish minutes are really gonna are we gonna see in terms of the cross matching. So the top end is in the game for Indiana, who's he guarded? Right? You know? Unfortunately Jaris Walker looks like he's going to be out for them for this final series, right, But does does that force you to play Thomas Bryant who wasn't looking so great in the first part of the

Knick series? And then is that something? Okay? See can on the other side, so and the Thunder Conversely, they feel like all their guys can guard everybody exactly, case of Wallas is out there, you know, Caruso as stout as he is As a defender, He's obviously very switchable. That's where I think okay See seems to have the advantage, especially when you go to the bench, because once you

get past that first that front five, so to speak. Now, I think the defensive side for Indiana switches towards okay Cee's favor because I just don't think they're as versatile defensively, although they are very versatile offensive.

Oklahoma City thunder right. If you're going to have any chance of winning, you need that version of Pascal Siakam that came out in games was it two?

sides of the basketball. It doesn't mean that he's got to go out there and shot block or whatever.

points of the series. I think it does become like, well where else can Indiana get consistent play? Because if you feel like the main guys are gonna struggle, you know, even even if it's just efficiency per se, maybe they'll still get their numbers, but efficiently they may not. Then that's when Miles Turner comes into play. That's when Aaron Smith comes into play. And the last one is it two three games of the series Benedict matthe and coming

off the bench. You know you talk about a freato merchant you was getting through the line kind of that nauseum and was really been able to be really impactful. So is that something you know, Carl aland the Pacers can tap into. Offense will be when their main guys presumably are going to really be facing a very a tough sledding for the entire of these series just because of okay, switchability defensively, So I've been looking for Nie Smith, Turner and Mathurin to really really figure out ways to

step in here, you know, and have some games. And that's the beauty I think about the Indiana Pacers. It doesn't mean they all have to go off at the same time, but can one of them have a good game and you know, while the other one is like, all right, tonight's an off night. But the Smith pops Likeing did in game one eight threes, which is obviously, you know, miraculous, But does he you know, give you seventeen to eighteen and another night Turners, you know, giving

you almost twenty eights. That's where I think Indiana is really going to have to figure this out topping played well in Game six, especially in the second half, and I think that's where I think the Pacers have some symbls of an understanding. But I don't know if all their main guys are going to be able to go off in this series because I think, okay, see just so top heavy defensive way.

to me was just kind of unwatchable. Not because I didn't like either of the teams, because I technically don't. But the reason why I was unwatchable is because shot selection and basketball IQ at times was just I you know, I just couldn't understand it. Like I guess it's like neither one of these teams wanted to win. You cannot do that against this Oklahoma City Thunder team. You just

you just cannot. You have to be at the highest level of your understanding of the game and when a shot is a good shot and when a shot is not a good shot, because you're not going to be afforded too many opportunities to have those make or miss situations.

You know what I'm saying, Like they feel and understand where the momentum shifts and changes, and they if they roll the dice and take a risk on it, their confident is saying, you know what, we own that that's on us. But they like throughout the course of their playoff run. What's impressed me about Okay se Shaws. I've never looked at them with this level of saying, oh

my god, like are you serious? Like this is exactly what you think you're gonna supposed to be doing, like at this moment in time, is if like this is meant to like you wanted this to happen, Like no, Like you're gifting the opposition a chance to probably win a game that they have no business.

I'm just saying, like, if I want to buy into the Indiana Pacers making this a series, they can't pull the kind of stunts that they were pulling in this last series in the Eastern Conference finals now.

of bounds per see. You know, I don't want the anti passers to become timid in the series at all. I think they need to inherently need to be who they are and try to run the basketball and not go up against Oklahoma studies, you know, set defense on a record basis, but again you have to do that with a certain level of care and caution. And I think that's what the depth of this team really does kind of come into play that gives them more than

a punch of Shanson. I think some of the oddsmakers are going to say in this situation, what I want to kind of like switch gears to real quick though, is just your thought on Indiana and their ability to stop SGA, Like what are you looking for for SGA in this series to be brilliant? And I could ultimately to an OKAYC championship.

And you could also make the argument in some respects that the New York Knicks kind of kind of gifted that for them, like baited themselves because of their style of offense. They had way too many half court oriented guys weren't really good in spacing, and then when those opportunities came for them to make those half court shots, it was in the hands of people that just were inconsistent.

I don't think you'll have that kind of problem if I'm OKAC, But it's all predicated on the aggressiveness of SGA. And when I say aggressiveness, I'm saying he doesn't have to take twenty shots in order for that to kind of happen. It's all about if he's beating his man. One of the things that I was impressed by that I thought would have given the Minnesota Timber was a chance in that series was the level of aggressiveness that

you saw from Alexander. From Walker Alexander and then also from Anthony Edwards, there was a level of intensity of really getting up in SGA and forcing him to dance with the ball more rather than moving north south. If SGA has made up his mind to go north south and he gets past one the first defender, or maybe even gets around the screen to the second defender, that's putting guys like Siakam, guys like Turner on their heels.

And I'm not saying that they're great defensively, but it will marginalize what they can give you defensively because they're not great front court stretch out extensive defense defenders. Once the guard gets past their back their their own their teammates back court. So that's that's where I'm concerned. But if I get an aggressive Sga, I mean he can basically have lunch all all day long in the paint with the with the Indiana Pacers because he can be that kind of guy if he chooses to.

You know, I can see Siakam and Turner trying to do something and then you know, sticking a leg out too far and then get a call for those illegal screens. But you gotta run you know, Sga around on the defensive side to make him work and you know, maybe that will hopefully tire him out on the offensive side

where he's maybe not as potent. I don't know that that will actually happen, but I think it's something making an attempt to do, you know, at different points throughout the course of the series, because I'd much rather lose this series if I'm Indiana, you know, with Jason Williams and ched Holm Grant and guys like that, you know, going off as opposed to Esga doing his MVP dance on me kind of throughout the course of those other

game series. So they got to make ishe work on the defensive side of the basketball as well, And I think they have enough depth in guys and this will they be able to do that. Not necessarily great one on one guys, I don't think them hard and the Smith are these guys you know, just try to take you off the trouble per se. But again, you know, putting him putting is sha in action with whoever he's guarding, because I think he's going to be guarding probably the

lesser of the offensive. Uh, you know, stars if you frow Ondianiana side, but you got to get him involved one way.

And while you can say that might be good for some reasons, Kat decided that, you know what, Turner, you cannot guard me on the perimeter, like you have to respect my jumper and away. But if I decided to put on the floor, you have no hope. Chet and Heartstein don't have those types of chops. These not off

the bounce. So I think Turner can have a more impactful series in this, and then I think conversely on the the other guy on the Indiana side too, I think as aforementioned math room whish, I don't need to kind of really gate that too. So I think those two guys from Niana have to play well. The Pacers are going to you know, make this a long series.

And then conversely for okay, see it is not necessarily an offensive thing for me, I think they can they can maintain this same level of defense with Caruso on the floor in case I Wallace on the floor, Like is the defense there's truly no drop off when you know, the the Indiana offensive guys like the top ends and the maxmins kind of come in. Can they still get that same level of defensive production, not from their starters

per se. So that's where it's like, it's kind of a tale of two teams really where I think Indiana needs to figure out a way to tap in even more into their offensive chops, which I think is going to be a tough defense. Well, okay see he needs to dig down into what they do best, but their defense, especially with some of their supplemental and auxiliary guys.

NBA Playoffs. He's given you a few twenty something put us point performances hitting the three and then also from a defensive perspective, bro averaging two blocks per game essentially, Like, I just feel like if he is on one and he is really complementing what we're expecting to see from SGA and j Williams, that's going to be a problem for the Indian pacer. This is way too much firepower coming from all aspects, you know, every dynamic of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

win the series. But I think they're going to have a better showing in this than many of the odspeakers were giving them. So I'm gonna tip my toe in the waters here and say, okay see in seven, in a in a in an NBA finals and unexpected AMI finals that we didn't expect to be a classic. But I think Indiana is gonna show up prove in a way that many are probably still dotting them a little bit before. But I still got the Thunder winning the NBA Championship. But I'm gonna put okayee in Southern Yeah.

I just I'm just watching this team, bro, And you know, forget all of the the oh, you know, just the first championship that you know there since the KD Westbrook and Hardened not forget all all of that. They understand that this is their time. They understand that. I truly feel that they truly understand that. And I think if they don't get into you know, in their own heads, they know that they are really the better team in

this in this series. Ultimately, what they cannot afford to do is what the Knicks allowed the Pacers to do. And I told you this, right, do not let the Pacers take one on the road, right, don't let them get one in MSG, because if you do that, it's a wrap.

been playing against. And I just don't know. Kyle's gonna have to pull out a masterpiece to get these guys to break what the OKC Thunder has basically been thrown out here so far in this NBA Playoffs.

But if OKAC goes out and does what they basically have done to teams in those first two games of holding their home court or against teams who are base matched up like them, say like the Minnesota Timberwolves, this will be a quick series because it's just such a it's a tough hill to climb, man, when a team is locked in defensively, you don't have the luxury of turn suddenly just figuring it out of how you're gonna basically stop them from doing what they were able to

come out and execute that they've been doing all series long.

points for them to beat you. So if you're figuring out a way to push them to think that you got to score one hundred and twenty points, you may actually have the edge. And we'll see if the Inana Pacers can do that.

seven years. And and I'm glad that one of these teams will deserveably hoist the trophy for the first time, you know, you know, either for the OKC Thunder or at all, like Nana Pacers having not won an NBA championship, right yeah, so uh yeah, not not that I not not the A B A since if they were a BA right, Okay, yeah, so again and the Thunder don't claim the Sonics Championship, so we'll be the first Thunder championship for sure.