Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 34 points vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Chris Finch: 'We're going to go home and fight for Game 3' [RAW]
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch reacts after a 118-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals Thursday night. The Timberwolves are down 0-2 in the best-of-seven series as it shifts to Target Center Saturday night.
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CBS News
30 minutes ago
- CBS News
Gen Z is taking over the NBA Finals between Thunder and Pacers with youngest matchup in decades
When the Oklahoma City Thunder tip off against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals Thursday night, it won't just be a battle for the title — it's a generational milestone. Led by almost entirely Gen Z players born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are among the youngest teams in NBA history to make it to the championship games. The Thunder entered the season as the youngest team, with an average age of 24.148, according to the NBA. The Pacers came in slightly older at 25.263, but the number is still below the league average for teams that make it to the Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates with teammates after winning the Western Conference Finals MVP after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 28, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Getty Images The youngest team to win a championship was the Portland Trail Blazers nearly 50 years ago, with the average age of the team being just 25.03. They were led by then-24-year-old Bill Walton. Now, a new generation of rising stars includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Chet Holmgren, and Bennedict Mathurin. The players themselves are aware of the shift this Finals represents. After the Pacers punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals — their first trip to the Finals in 25 years — Myles Turner, who has been on the team the longest of anyone on the roster, reflected on what the 2025 playoffs could represent: "It's a new blueprint for the league, man … I think the years of the super teams and stacking, it's not as effective as it once was." "Since I've been in the league, the NBA is very trendy. It just shifts," he said. "The new trend now is kind of what we're doing." Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates with the Bob Cousy Trophy after the 125-108 win against the New York Knicks in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 31, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated this year's regular season, finishing with a 68-14 record and securing the No.1 spot in the Western Conference. With the leadership of 2024-25 MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, they were able to mostly cruise through the playoffs, taking down a tough Mavericks team in seven games but easily handling the Timberwolves and the Grizzlies. The Thunder is the youngest team to have ever won 68 games in a single regular season, according to NBA statistics. If they win the 2025 championship, they would be the second youngest team to ever do so. The Pacers finished the regular season with a record of 50-32, and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tyrese Haliburton, 24, has been leading the team alongside standouts Mathurin, 22, and 25-year-old Andrew Nembhard. Both the Thunder and Pacers have built their rosters through strategic draft picks and trades. Oklahoma City's Gilgeous-Alexander arrived via trade in 2019, when he was a rising prospect. While first-round picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren arrived in 2022 together. The Indiana Pacers had a similar blueprint, trading for Haliburton in 2022 and drafting Nembhard and Mauthrin in the following years. Both teams are now in the finals without having signed any of the marquee veteran players when they were available on the market. The generation that grew up fully with the internet is now reshaping NBA history. Together, these teams are carving out a new lane, bringing fresh energy and excitement to the younger fan base by connecting with their fans on social media. Both teams have been posting more content related to games on platforms like Instagram, X and TikTok, where the younger generation is, drawing on OKC's "Loud City" and the Pacers' "Pacer Nation." In a league where veterans like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry traditionally dominate the court, this year feels like a passing of the torch.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes ‘stubborn' Pacers admission
The post Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes 'stubborn' Pacers admission appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is impressed by what he sees from the Indiana Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander sees a team that is willing to pick up the pace. Advertisement 'They play fast. They're stubborn in the way they play,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, per The Oklahoman. 'They play like that no matter the game, no matter the environment, no matter the round or stage. They play to their identity, and that's why they've been really good.' Oklahoma City and Indiana meet in the NBA Finals, with a chance to get the Thunder's first league championship. The club upended the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, in the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City and Indiana meet in Game 1 on Thursday night, in Oklahoma City. Indiana defeated the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been incredible for the Thunder this year Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season as the NBA's Most Valuable Player. He is a three-time NBA All-Star, who has made the last three All Star selections. Advertisement This season, the Thunder's star guard has averaged 32.7 points per game, while shooting better than 51 percent from the field. He is also this year's NBA scoring champion. 'It's been a roller coaster,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, per the Associated Press. 'I had nights where I thought I wasn't good at basketball, had nights where I thought I was the best player in the world before I was. It's been ups and downs. My mentality to try to stay level through it all really helped me. Once I figured that out, I really saw jumps in my game.' The rise of Gilgeous-Alexander as a star in the NBA has been impressive. He was selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He remembers that night well. 'All the moments I got, like, cut, traded, slighted, overlooked,' he said. 'But also all the joy, all the things that my family has comforted me in, all the life lessons. Everything that's turned me into the man and the human being that I am today.' Thunder fans hope that Gilgeous-Alexander can deliver that elusive NBA title. Oklahoma City won one NBA championship, when they were the Seattle Supersonics. That title season was in 1979.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton dominate social media as NBA Playoff viewership increases
The post Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton dominate social media as NBA Playoff viewership increases appeared first on ClutchPoints. After months of competition, there remain only two teams as the 2025 NBA Finals are set to tip off on Thursday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Indiana Pacers in a series featuring two of the most electric and complete teams on both ends of the floor led by superstar point guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton. Advertisement While the two finalists don't come from big markets, that hasn't slowed what's been a positive year for the NBA from a viewership perspective. It's almost as if all the whining on social media about market size and how this series will affect the league's profitability ignores the fact that the league had a strong year as far as both ratings and social media growth. Let's dive into it. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton dominate social media as NBA Playoff viewership increases The 2025 Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks averaged 7 million viewers on TNT and truTV, which is up 10 percent vs. last year's series between the Boston Celtics and Pacers. Advertisement It's also the most-watched Eastern Conference Finals that ended in six games or fewer in 11 years. Game 6 between the Knicks and Pacers in Indianapolis averaged a whopping 8.12 million viewers and peaked with 9.91 million viewers between 10:15 PM and 10:29 PM. The 2025 Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves didn't have as strong of a showing as the Eastern Conference Finals, but still averaged 5.59 million viewers across the five-game series. As a whole, the 2025 NBA Playoffs averaged 4.5 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, which is up three percent vs. last year's postseason. Advertisement NBA playoff games have driven ABC, ESPN and TNT to be the most-viewed networks across all of TV in primetime among people under the age of 50 on 37 out of a possible 39 nights of playoff coverage — a whopping 94.9 percent. Additionally, NBA playoff games on ABC, ESPN and TNT averaged a 10.6 share of the TV audience — the percentage of households with TVs on that are watching the NBA). That figure is the highest share in NBA Playoff history. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images According to the league's data, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has driven the most views of any player across NBA social media accounts this postseason, with 864 million views through the Conference Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander was also the seventh most viewed player on social media during the regular season, accruing 1.06 billion views. Advertisement Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is right behind SGA at number three with 679 million views. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards ranks second through the Conference Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander has gained the most Instagram followers of any NBA player this postseason with over 310,000 followers. Haliburton has added the second most Instagram followers of any NBA player this postseason at over 291,000, trailing only Gilgeous-Alexander. According to the league's data, Tyrese Haliburton is the fastest growing player with a 24 percent follower growth rate. The NBA has also generated a record 32 billion views across all social media platforms during the postseason, which is up 62 percent versus last year, according to Videocites. The league experienced record engagement throughout the regular season, generating 124 billion views, which is up 67 percent year over year, according to Videocites – making it the most-viewed regular season and postseason ever on NBA social media platforms.
