The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are set to square off in the 2025 finals in a couple of days. The two teams will essentially be looking for their first Championship to bring home to their respective cities. The Oklahoma City Thunder have never won in their current form, as their last win was in 1979 when they were famously known as the Seattle SuperSonics. Indiana, as mentioned before, has never won one in the history of their Franchise.
The Western Conference Champs, the OKC Thunder, have been dominant all year long. The team had a franchise record, winning 68 games this year. They were led by their young star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the third MVP in Franchise history. The Thunder also employed the league’s best defense all year with a defensive rating of 106.6.
OKC has not lost very many games to the opposite conference. They were 29-1 vs the Eastern Conference with their one loss coming against Cleveland, the top seed in the East. Despite the dominance, however, pundits and fans were skeptical about how the team would perform under the bright lights in the postseason. Many pointed to their youth being a factor, as they were the youngest team in the league on average.
The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one but faced a taller task in round two. The Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić stood in the way of a trip to the Western Conference Finals for the young squad. The Thunder dropped Games One and Three, going down 2-1, and it looked like the moment might be too big. In both games, they were thoroughly outplayed in the clutch, and the questions about their youth rose once again.
Then came Games Four and Five, the biggest games of their season. In Game Four, OKC trailed by eight early in the 4th quarter in Denver, in danger of going down 3-1. They came back and won that game. In Game Five, OKC trailed by 12 midway through the 3rd quarter, in danger of going down 3-2 with game six being in Denver. The young squad came back and won that game.
The Thunder winning Games Four and Five was a tremendous confidence boost because the young Thunder outplayed the battle-tested Nuggets in the clutch in both games. The Thunder had not played in close games all year, so playing in the clutch was a real question mark, and the team answered it resoundingly.
OKC went on to dominate Denver in Game Seven, and the dominance continued in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder went on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, with the closeout game being a 30-point win.
The Pacers had a very rough beginning to the season. The team in its first 25 games only won 10. Then, all of a sudden, the Pacers went 40-17 to close the season, which was one of the best records in the league in that span. The Pacers finished 4th in the standings and drew Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in round one.
The Pacers had a common theme in the 2025 postseason. Snatching victory from the Jaws of defeat. They won 3 games in the postseason when trailing by 7+ points with a minute remaining. One of the games was the closeout Game Five vs the Bucks when the team trailed 111-118 with 40 seconds left and won the game 119-118. Before Indiana’s heroics, teams were 1-1,640 in that exact scenario. Indiana’s play in the clutch has been nearly flawless all playoffs long.
After beating Giannis and the Bucks in five games, the Cleveland Cavaliers were up next. The Cavaliers were the top seed in the East, winning 64 games. Indiana right off the bat took control of the series, winning both games in Cleveland. Game Two was the second game where the Pacers worked a miracle to pull off a victory. Indiana would go on to beat the top-seeded Cavs in five games.
Then came the Eastern Conference Finals against a familiar foe. The New York Knicks and Pacers have a history in the playoffs. The two teams have faced off in the postseason nine times, with the Pacers winning six of the series. A notable moment throughout those series was when Reggie Miller did the choke celebration after scoring eight points in nine minutes in Game One of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semis.
Fast forward to Game One of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, and the Pacers trailed 112-121 with a minute left to go. After a chaotic minute of basketball, Tyrese Haliburton hit a shot to tie the game 125-125. Haliburton thought he had hit a three to win the game, 126-125, so he did Reggie Miller’s choke celebration with Miller in Attendance, calling the game for TNT. Indiana would win in OT, ensuring the homage to Miller did not go to waste. The Pacers ended up winning a hard-fought six-game battle vs the Knicks to go to the NBA Finals—the Eastern Conference Champs.
The Thunder are overwhelming favorites in the finals, with betting experts having them at -700. The Pacers are fighting an uphill battle, facing a team playing with extreme confidence now. If the Pacers have any chance to win these finals, they have to continue their dominant play in the clutch, as that is the one area in this series that favors them. A Pacers victory will require the Thunder to struggle at times. If both teams play their “A” game, it will be OKC in five or six maximum.
The best offense (Indiana) in the postseason takes on the best defense (OKC) in the postseason! Who will prevail?
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
