The Oklahoma City Thunder are gearing up for their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2012. Thunder fans will hope this appearance goes better than the last time, when they fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
The Thunder continue to display the dominance they showed in the regular season, when they finished with the league's best record. They're also one of the league's best road teams.
They made relatively quick work of the Minnesota Timberwolves, completing the gentleman's sweep to take the series 4-1.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam at Paycom Center on March 29, 2025.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam at Paycom Center on March 29, 2025.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Pacers' reality bodes well for Thunder ahead of NBA Finals
The Thunder will take on the Indiana Pacers, who are in their first NBA Finals since 2000, when they fell to Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. While some have been impressed with the Pacers' playoff run, others believe they benefited from a favorable path.
That's the exact mindset of Breakfast Ball host Craig Carton.
"You beat a hurt Cavs team. You did not play the Celtics. And you played a flawed Knicks," said Carton. "You got here going through the easiest path an Eastern Conference Finals team has ever had and nobody is holding it against you."
While the Knicks may have had a flawed roster, they knocked off the defending champion Boston Celtics. Even before Jayson Tatum's injury, the Knicks were simply the better team.
The Pacers benefited from the Knicks' defensive shortcomings, particularly against Karl-Anthony Towns in the pick-and-roll. Unlike the Knicks, the Thunder are a superior defensive team and possess the depth to make life difficult for the Pacers.
The Thunder enter Game 1 as 9.5-point favorites and are an overwhelming -650 favorites to win the series. That implies a probability of 86.67%.