The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in 2025, but Blake Griffin doesn't see them reaching the NBA Finals in 2026. During an appearance on Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston, Griffin was asked to predict his Finals matchup for 2025-26 and went with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
"I think Denver got better this summer," Griffin said. "Denver took Oklahoma City to seven games. I think Denver gets to the Finals in the West. And I mean, I think it's New York or Cleveland in the East. I'll take New York. Maybe they learn from some mistakes, they make a few tweaks.
"But I do really like Cleveland," Griffin continued. "It's hard to say not Cleveland because again, we kind of do this thing when a team loses before we think they should. We kind of pick them apart, and we go, 'They're not ready.' It's just part of basketball. You lose a series you weren't supposed to lose, and it happens.
"So I'm not a big believer in like blow it up, they got to find something different," Griffin added. "Just stick with it. So, I will go with Knicks-Denver Finals."
This would be quite the battle on the big stage. The Nuggets won the championship back in 2023 but haven't made the Western Conference Finals since. They lost in seven games in the Conference Semifinals to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2024 and the Thunder in 2025.
Griffin believes the Nuggets have made enough improvements to get past the Thunder in 2026. They have acquired Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown Jr. this offseason. It sure does look like Nikola Jokic has enough help to get the Nuggets to the Finals.
As for Griffin's pick in the East, the Knicks haven't made the NBA Finals in the 21st century. They did come close last season, losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Conference Finals. A year earlier, the Pacers had knocked them out in seven games in the Conference Semifinals.
That Pacers team won't be standing in the Knicks' way this time, though, as Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics could have been another roadblock, but they lost Jayson Tatum to the same injury in the playoffs.
With both the Pacers and Celtics out of the way, the Knicks have to be a big favorite to get to the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic would likely be the two other teams in the mix, and we should get fascinating battles between them.
Blake Griffin's Pick For NBA MVP
Not only is Griffin, who will be a studio analyst for Amazon next season, not backing the Thunder to win the title, but he also doesn't think that reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will go back-to-back. The 36-year-old chose Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as his pick for MVP.
"I'm going to go Giannis MVP," Griffin stated. "I think his team can still be top four in the East, and I also think without sort of the help that he's had around him, he's going to be playing close to 40 minutes a night. And I think he's going to maybe accept that challenge and average ... whatever ungodly numbers he puts up."
Antetokounmpo finished third in MVP voting last season after averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game for the Bucks. With Damian Lillard, who also tore his Achilles, having been shipped out of town, you'd imagine he will take on an even bigger load and put up ridiculous numbers.
With how weak the East is because of the injuries, Antetokounmpo could get the Bucks a top-four seed. The 30-year-old would have a pretty strong case for MVP then, but he'll face stiff competition from the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
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