The OKC Thunder may be [the overwhelming favorites](https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/42358288/espn-2025-nba-futures-odds-betting-championship-finals-conference-playoffs) in their upcoming 2025 NBA Finals matchup against the Pacers, but this is by no means an excuse for them not to take the Eastern Conference champs seriously.
After all, in virtually every one of their matchups thus far in this year's postseason, Indiana has been viewed as the underdog. They've managed to defy the odds every step of the way, so why should Oklahoma City assume they're the only ones excused from landing on the wrong side of an upset?
In order for them to have gotten to this point, many factors have contributed to the Pacers' dominance during their playoff run. However, perhaps the most notable aspect has been their elite level of effort on the defensive end, particularly when defending an opposing team's star players.
Third-year guard Andrew Nembhard has arguably been the driving force on this front.
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to face big test in Andrew Nembhard
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Though Indiana may rank ninth in defensive rating thus far into the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Nembhard has a case for being the top defensive talent throughout this stretch -- at least, as far as backcourt players are concerned.
From his efforts that saw him hold guys like Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell in rounds one and two, respectively, to sub-25.0 percent shooting with him as the main assignment to, most recently, holding Jalen Brunson to a series-low of 19 points and forcing him into five turnovers (to go along with his six steals) during Saturday's Game 6 close-out in the Eastern Conference Finals, the 25-year-old has been a force to be reckoned with on the less glamorous side of the ball all postseason long.
Now, heading into the title round, he finds himself slated to go up against his biggest challenge yet in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Not only is he [the league's newest MVP recipient](https://thunderousintentions.com/shai-gilgeous-alexander-won-mvp-contract-more-insane), one could make a legitimate and, frankly, rather easy argument that the Thunder cornerstone is the most productive and efficient scorer in the game today, as he joined Michael Jordan this year as being the only players in NBA history to average 30 or more points per game on 50.0 percent shooting or better in three seasons.
So far in the playoffs, he's continued to stay incredibly reliable in this area of play, as he's averaged 29.8 points on 47.1 percent shooting from the field through three rounds of action. He's also seen four games of 35 or more points scored and a 40-point performance along the way.
This NBA Finals matchup between the Thunder and Pacers could finally provide the world an answer to the age-old question of what happens when an unstoppable force (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) meets an immovable object (Andrew Nembhard).
Undoubtedly, this individual showdown has the makings of being each of the aforementioned ballers' most difficult yet.