Latest news with #2025NBAFinals
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder
The 2025 NBA Finals will get underway on Thursday from the Paycom Center as the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers will take on the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner of these finals will win their first title in franchise history. The Thunder moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after so many years in Seattle as the SuperSonics. The franchise won a title in Seattle in 1979, but the Thunder does not acknowledge that title as they left the history behind in Seattle. Advertisement The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough 2024-25 season as they were decimated by injuries from the jump, but there are some Sixers connections in these finals on both teams. The Pacers feature former Process champion TJ McConnell as their backup point guard and they also feature big man Tony Bradley. McConnell was an undrafted rookie who played four seasons for the Sixers while Bradley played one season for Philadelphia and has been able to establish himself as a tough and physical big man option for coach Rick Carlisle to turn to. On the Thunder side of things, they feature Philadelphia's 2020 second-round pick, Isaiah Joe. After two seasons with the Sixers, Joe was waived before catching on with the Thunder. Since then, he has morphed into a reliable role player for coach Mark Daigneault as he has shot 41.2% from deep in three seasons in Oklahoma City. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder
2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder The 2025 NBA Finals will get underway on Thursday from the Paycom Center as the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers will take on the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner of these finals will win their first title in franchise history. The Thunder moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after so many years in Seattle as the SuperSonics. The franchise won a title in Seattle in 1979, but the Thunder does not acknowledge that title as they left the history behind in Seattle. The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough 2024-25 season as they were decimated by injuries from the jump, but there are some Sixers connections in these finals on both teams. The Pacers feature former Process champion TJ McConnell as their backup point guard and they also feature big man Tony Bradley. McConnell was an undrafted rookie who played four seasons for the Sixers while Bradley played one season for Philadelphia and has been able to establish himself as a tough and physical big man option for coach Rick Carlisle to turn to. On the Thunder side of things, they feature Philadelphia's 2020 second-round pick, Isaiah Joe. After two seasons with the Sixers, Joe was waived before catching on with the Thunder. Since then, he has morphed into a reliable role player for coach Mark Daigneault as he has shot 41.2% from deep in three seasons in Oklahoma City.
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
NBA finals: Indiana Pacers players to watch out for vs Oklahoma City Thunder
The Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to compete in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday (June 5) at Oklahoma's Paycom Center. Though tagged as the underdogs of this season, the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in an impressive feat by winning all six games against them in the Eastern Conference finals. The final is bound to be a compelling watch for more than just the riff-off between two smaller teams; it's about what every player brings to the table as well. Talking about point guards, the competition between Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is bound to provide an interesting match. Given his emphasis on passing rather than scoring fast, Haliburton commands an 18.8 points average, 9.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, and shoots 46.6% from the field in the playoffs. Given the team's passion for forcing pace, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are bound to act as Alexander's defenders, sometimes even granting him full-court opportunities. Coming off being voted the most overrated player in the league, Haliburton's performance in the Eastern Conference proved the contrary. Pascal Siakam's passion for offensive, as well as defensive play, comes from years of climbing up the ranks of mid-majors to reach the NBA. Having originally played at New Mexico State, Siakam was named the Eastern Conference finals MVP and is a crucial part of the tag team formed by him and Haliburton to bear the team's sole responsibility of scoring points. Nebhard can also play a significant role in the match by sliding over Aaron Nesmith if he were to land in trouble, and may even get to play primary defender against Alexander before adjustments are made. The fact that all five of Indiana's stars average double-digit points, making it the third-highest-scoring bench unit in the postseason, proves their ability to hold their ground in the Finals. But this strategy requires guys like Aaron Nesmith, Nebhard, and Miles Turner to play their game and play it well. Bennedict Mathurin, for instance, will need to up his defenses and refrain from mistakes or forced shots when on the floor. The match will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+ at 8:30 PM ET.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Finals, Pacers vs. Thunder: Who won the regular season series?
The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are just days away from taking the court together and duking it out for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Neither team has ever won an NBA championship − the Seattle Supersonics won a title in 1979, but that doesn't count here − meaning these are the most pivotal games in franchise history for both of these squads. The best bet is anyone's guess. While the Thunder ended the regular season with the best record in the NBA, the Pacers have proved themselves to be one of the most clutch teams in the league. They have that "it" factor that has elevated them over other organizations that arguably have more talent. If that trend continues in the Finals, they should have no issue holding their own against a very talented Thunder team. Advertisement Perhaps the best way to predict a winner is the most obvious: taking a look at how these teams fared against each other during the regular season. Here's how they fared when facing each other earlier this year. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe drives to the basket beside Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second quarter at Paycom Center. NBA News: As NBA draft approaches, Wasserman agency reveals large 2025 class The Thunder won the season series 2-0, winning by a combined 27 points in those two contests. Here are the matchups: Dec. 26, 2024 - Thunder 120, Pacers 114 The Thunder were dominant throughout the final three quarters of this game, rattling off 30 points in the second, third and fourth of this one. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 45 points and three other Thunder players finished with double digits as OKC pulled out a close win. March 29, 2025 - Thunder 132, Pacers 111 The second matchup wasn't as close as the Thunder scored 73 points in just the second and third quarters. The Pacers, contrary to their namesake, could not keep pace. Advertisement SGA tallied 33 points, while Tyrese Haliburton could only put up 18 for Indiana. Haliburton was quiet in both games, which was likely Oklahoma City's game plan all along. If the Thunder could force Indiana's best player into a playmaking role, he wouldn't be lighting up the scoresheet. Clearly, it worked to perfection during the regular season. 2025 NBA Finals schedule: *-if necessary. All times Eastern Game 1, June 5: Pacers at Thunder | ABC, 8:30 p.m. Game 2, June 8: Pacers at Thunder | ABC, 8 p.m. Game 3, June 11: Thunder at Pacers | ABC, 8:30 p.m. Game 4, June 13: Thunder at Pacers | ABC, 8:30 p.m. Game 5, June 16: Pacers at Thunder | ABC, 8:30 p.m.* Game 6, June 19: Thunder at Pacers | ABC, 8:30 p.m.* Game 7, June 22: Pacers at Thunder | ABC, 8 p.m.* NBA News: Latest injury update on Pacers forward Jarace Walker before NBA Finals This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 NBA Finals: Pacers vs. Thunder regular season record
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Thunder vs. Pacers: Predictions, picks, odds for 2025 NBA Finals
Thunder vs. Pacers: Predictions, picks, odds for 2025 NBA Finals Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq gives thoughts on a possible Pacers-Thunder 'small market' Finals Shaq joins Sports Seriously to give his thoughts on if a Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals would be too 'small market' for the league. Sports Seriously A new NBA champion will be crowned in 2025. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set to meet in the NBA Finals beginning Thursday, June 5 and both teams are officially seeking their first title. The Thunder were the best team in the NBA throughout the 2024-25 season led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and enter this championship series as a heavy favorite to win. They reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 by trouncing the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games during the Western Conference finals. The Indiana Pacers are more of a surprise despite making a lengthy playoff run a year ago. The Pacers ranked outside the top 10 in NBA title odds entering the postseason only to upset the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals before disposing of the New York Knicks in the conference finals to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years. Here's a look at the latest picks, predictions and odds entering Thursday's Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers: NBA Finals picks: Thunder vs. Pacers predictions USA TODAY: Every expert picks the Thunder All of the NBA experts at USA Today Sports picked the Oklahoma City Thunder to beat the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals Scooby Axson: Thunder in five Thunder in five Jordan Mendoza: Thunder in six Thunder in six Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder in six Thunder in six James Williams: Thunder in six Thunder in six Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in five Sports Illustrated: Thunder win NBA Finals "The Thunder have a net rating of +11.2 in the playoffs (Indiana is sitting at +4.1), and they've been dominant against non-Jokic opponents. Plus, the Pacers fall outside of a key trend ... Since the 1996-97 season, every team that won the title finished the regular season in the top eight in the league in net rating. This season, OKC was No. 1 while the Pacers finished 13th." Every expert picks the Thunder John Schuhman writes, "The Thunder are, simply, the best team in basketball. Their No. 1 defense has been ridiculously good in the playoffs, holding the Grizzlies, Nuggets and Wolves to 19.6, 15.0 and 4.2 fewer points per 100 possessions, respectively, than they scored in the regular season. (Take away the Game 3 blowout and the Wolves' discrepancy would also be in the double-digits.) The Indiana offense vs. Oklahoma City defense could be the best one-end-of-the-floor matchup that we've seen in the Finals in a long time, but the Thunder should have the edge on that end of the floor and the other." Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals Game 1 odds The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to take a 1-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, according to BetMGM (odds as of 4 p.m. ET on Monday, June 2): Spread : Thunder (-9.5) : Thunder (-9.5) Moneyline : Thunder (-400); Pacers (+310) : Thunder (-400); Pacers (+310) Over/under: 230.5 Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals series odds The Oklahoma City Thunder enter Game 1 as the favorite to win the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers, according to BetMGM (odds as of 4 p.m. ET on Monday, June 2) Series winner: Thunder (-700); Pacers (+500) Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo NBA Finals 2025: Schedule, time, TV channel, live streaming All times Eastern. *-if necessary
