Latest news with #WesternConferenceFinalsMVP
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Looking back at the 2 matchups between Thunder, Pacers before 2025 NBA Finals
Looking back at the 2 matchups between Thunder, Pacers before 2025 NBA Finals A few days after they punched their ticket, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally learned their 2025 NBA Finals opponent. The Indiana Pacers blew out the New York Knicks in a 125-108 Game 6 win to set up this year's championship series. The Thunder dominated their way to the NBA Finals. They went 12-4 against the West playoffs with mostly double-digit point wins. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given the Western Conference Finals MVP. Meanwhile, the Pacers got hot at the right time. A few late-game heroics paired with a high-scoring offense have catapulted them to the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up as one of the best playoff players. Pascal Siakam was given the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. In their season series, the Thunder took both meetings against the Pacers. Let's look back at all four contests as they prepare to battle it out in the 2025 NBA Finals: Dec. 26, 2024: Thunder 120, Pacers 114 The day after Christmas, the Thunder and Pacers showed why the NBA should've scheduled them for the holiday slate. The Thunder survived a slow start that saw them fall into a double-digit deficit. But then they rattled off three straight 30-point quarters to complete the impressive road victory. Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable with an efficient 45 points. He shot 11-of-11 on free throws as Indiana couldn't slow him down. Williams helped out with a blue-collar 20 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Hartenstein and Dort were OKC's other two double-digit scorers. Meanwhile, Haliburton had a quiet four points. Siakam and Nembhard each scored 20-plus points, but that's exactly what the Thunder wanted to see as Indiana's best player was turned into just a playmaker. They still shot a decent percentage from the outside at nearly 39%. This is a very replicable game plan for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander should continue his dominance. They can also limit Haliburton's scoring. It'll be interesting to see how Holmgren looks with OKC, though. Wallace was the fifth starter. A full recap can be read here. Mar. 29, 2025: Thunder 132, Pacers 111 After a close first quarter, the Thunder blew this game open in the middle frames with a combined 73 points. It was another classic OKC contest where it suddenly blew the scoreboard open with a humongous run fueled by its turnover-happy defense. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 33 points. He was busy at the free-throw line with a 10-of-12 performance. Williams had an efficient 18 points. Plenty of Thunder role players stepped up. Dort had 22 points, Joe had 19 points, Wallace had 14 points and Kenrich Williams had 10 points. Meanwhile, Haliburton was quiet again with just 18 points. He was Indiana's top scorer. It only shot 33% from deep. This was a forgettable game for them. They need better from their starters. Meanwhile, for the Thunder, this could be a perfect formula to get one of their four wins. If the role players can step up and go on an avalanche run, expect there to be at least one blowout win for OKC in this series. It's happened so far in every playoff series. A full recap can be read here.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pacers vs. Thunder 2025 NBA Finals preview: X-Factors, matchups, prediction
Pacers vs. Thunder 2025 NBA Finals preview: X-Factors, matchups, prediction A few days after they punched their ticket, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally learned their 2025 NBA Finals opponent. The Indiana Pacers blew out the New York Knicks in a 125-108 Game 6 win to set up this year's championship series. The Thunder dominated their way to the NBA Finals. They went 12-4 against the West playoffs with mostly double-digit point wins. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given the Western Conference Finals MVP. Meanwhile, the Pacers got hot at the right time. A few late-game heroics paired with a high-scoring offense have catapulted them to the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton has stepped up as one of the best playoff players. Pascal Siakam was given the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Before the series starts with Game 1 from Paycom Center on Thursday, Thunder Wire will preview the series and break down matchups, X-factors and pencil in a series prediction for the first-round matchup: Can SGA continue his dominace After a slow start, Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP winner in the playoffs. He's averaged 29.8 points on 47.1% shooting, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Just a slight decrease from his regular-season numbers, which is expected, adjusted to postseason intensity. Against the Pacers this past season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 39 points on 55.6% shooting, eight assists and seven rebounds in two wins. Easy to say that this should be an NBA Finals matchup that could stamp the 26-year-old into one of the all-time greats. Indiana doesn't possess any perimeter defender who can slow him down. No offense to the Pacers, but Gilgeous-Alexander was still a machine through the West's gauntlet. Considering Jalen Brunson picked apart their defense and a lesser version of the MVP winner as a drive-heavy scorer who can get hot with his jumper, this should be a series where he should easily average an efficient 30-plus points. How the Thunder's 3-headed POA monster defend Haliburton The Pacers run their offense through Haliburton. He's averaged 18.8 points on 46.6% shooting, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds in the playoffs. That's led the NBA in assists during the postseason. He orchestrates the ball movement, but Indiana has plenty of other viable scoring options. Against similar players and archetypes, the Thunder have been excellent at limiting high-usage guards in the playoffs. Ja Morant, Jamal Murray and Anthony Edwards were blanketed throughout their respective playoff series against OKC, sans a few breakout games. That's the benefit of Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace. All three are high-end defenders who will be glued to Haliburton. There won't be a single second in the entire playoff series that at least one of those three guys won't share the floor with Indiana's All-Star. If the Thunder can fade Haliburton into the background and force others like Andrew Nembhard to step up as the primary ball-handler, that'll play right into what they want to do as the league's best defense. Can Hartenstein stay on the floor You saw leaks of it against the Timberwolves. Hartenstein's playing time slowly dwindled. To the point he was benched in the second half in favor of small-ball lineups. But the Thunder managed to win the series without ever shaking up their starting lineup. The Hartenstein-Holmgren lineup was a weapon against the Grizzlies and Nuggets, but struggled against Minnesota. It's remained a slight positive, but lineup data suggest OKC's best lineup is when Chet Holmgren is the sole center. Let's see if the Pacers' five-out offense can force the Thunder to change starters. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are a talented enough frontcourt that could force Hartenstein to defend in space. The bruiser big is uncomfortable when asked to defend the perimeter. If the Pacers move the ball quickly enough and hit on their outside looks, the Thunder could pivot. They're willing to concede outside looks and trust their perimeter defenders to rotate and close out, but that strategy could bite OKC if Indiana's role players bury them on the scoreboard. Who will be the better second option After being on shaky ground in the middle of the Denver series, Jalen Williams has been a bona fide second option. He shut up any doubters with an excellent West Finals. He averaged 22.2 points on 49.4% shooting, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Pair that with stonewall defense, he was the second-best player in that series. If Williams can carry that over to the NBA Finals, that'll ensure the Thunder win the championship. The All-Star can bulldoze his way to the basket for either layups or free throws. He can also get into a groove with his jumper. On the other end, expect Williams to be Siakam's primary defender. The former NBA champion has been a playoff riser. He had three 30-point outings against the Knicks that won him the East Finals MVP award in an upset. If Williams can take him down to his regular-season numbers, Indiana won't have anybody else to go to that can get their own buckets. Daigneault in rare experience disadvantage against Carlisle For the first time in all playoffs, Daigneault enters as the freshly-faced rookie. He coached against two interim coaches in the first two rounds with Tuomas Iisalo and David Adelman. And while Chris Finch was in last year's Western Conference Finals, that didn't matter as OKC was a buzzsaw against Minnesota. But Rick Carlisle is on a different level. He's been an NBA head coach since 2001. This will be his second NBA Finals. He was the Dallas Mavericks' head coach when they upset the Miami Heat in 2011. The 65-year-old hopes history repeats itself. Besides a few blips, Daigneault has made the right decisions in the playoffs. Let's see if the national spotlight and the highest stakes possible in a basketball game will change that. Meanwhile, Carlisle should know what to expect at this point in the year. X-factor: Chet Holmgren This is kinda a cop-out, but Holmgren didn't play in either matchup against the Pacers. He was out for the post-Christmas date with a hip fracture and also missed the second game in late March. But considering he's played better the deeper the Thunder have progressed in the playoffs, it's fair to say he completely changes the dynamics. Holmgren's defense speaks for itself. The Pacers will have him in mind anytime they drive to the basket. The seven-footer will cause plenty of kick-outs to the perimeter. He's the perfect foil to Turner, too. He can hold his own on the perimeter if needed and limit his outside attempts. If the Thunder needs to abandon the double-big lineup, Holmgren will be the lone center. The data suggests they're at their best with him at the five. The Pacers don't have a counter. He'll be quick enough on his feet to avoid being hunted out and has the wingspan to recover. The Thunder will get an early advantage with Holmgren. The Pacers have zero relevant film from this season against him. That means it'll be a couple of games before they can rationally conjure up counters. Until then, though, OKC should feed him the ball early in the post or transition. Series prediction Laying everything out, it's very easy to understand why the Thunder are viewed as the title favorite. They had one of the greatest regular seasons ever with a 68-14 record. That dominance has carried over to the playoffs, besides a couple of hiccups. The Thunder are just on another level. That's been the case all season long. From the top to the bottom, they stack up well against the Pacers. No offense to Indiana, but it's closer to the Grizzlies than the Nuggets. They deserve credit for getting this far. This is only their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and first since 2000. They got hot at the right time and showed their grit with a few comebacks and close wins in their playoff journey But OKC is a machine. It made the bloodbath Western Conference look like a swimming pool. They're in the same company as some of the greatest teams ever and should join that NBA pantheon with a championship, barring one of the most surprising upsets in sports history. Prediction: Thunder in 5
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA Finals berth puts Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Stephen Curry MVP company
The post NBA Finals berth puts Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Stephen Curry MVP company appeared first on ClutchPoints. It has been quite a ride in the 2024-25 NBA season so far for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Advertisement But he's not done yet. After being named the 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added another major award to his resume, as he won the 2025 Western Conference Finals MVP, as he led the Thunder to a series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the league MVP in the bag and an NBA Finals berth with the Thunder, the former Kentucky Wildcats star will be joining future Basketball Hall of Famer and Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry in an exclusive club. From the NBA Communications X account: 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the first player to win the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award and play in the NBA Finals presented by @YouTubeTV in the same season since Golden State's Stephen Curry in 2015-16.' Advertisement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will officially complete that feat once he steps on the court in the 2025 NBA Finals. For now, he and the Thunder will still have to wait to see which team they will be locking horns with in the last stage of the playoffs, with the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks still battling it out in the Eastern Conference finals. That series could be over as soon as this Thursday night, though, as Indiana could set the date with the Thunder in the NBA Finals with a win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5. With his ability to take over games on offense, Gilgeous-Alexander has become such a dangerous weapon for the Thunder on the court that none of Oklahoma City's previous three playoff opponents managed to solve. He dominated the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, thwarted the Denver Nuggets in the second round and humbled the Timberwolves in the conference finals. Gilgeous-Alexander had a spectacular series versus the Timberwolves. After lighting up Minnesota for 34 points on 14-for-25 shooting in the Thunder's series-clinching 124-94 win on Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander concluded the Western Conference finals with averages of 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds through five games.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why NBA Finals trip is bittersweet for Thunder's Mark Daigneault
The post Why NBA Finals trip is bittersweet for Thunder's Mark Daigneault appeared first on ClutchPoints. The NBA Finals now have their first finalist. Head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder captured the Western Conference crown with a resounding 124-94 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. Advertisement But to truly understand the Thunder's dominance, you have to look at how completely the Timberwolves unraveled. In the series finale, Minnesota collapsed into disarray, unable to match Oklahoma City's relentless intensity. With the Wolves' season hanging in the balance, the Thunder came out with a sharp, almost cruel sense of purpose. They didn't just win—they stripped Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and the rest of the squad of their fight. What should have been a celebratory night for OKC carried an unexpected sting of sympathy for a Minnesota team left in ruins. 'We had it all going. The focus through the distraction of a closeout game to go to the Finals is what was most impressive. We were laser focused,' said the Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. 'That allowed our best to come to the surface.' Right from the opening tip, Daigneault's team seized command. After Minnesota struck first, Canadian MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a scorching stretch on offense, playing a role in each of the Thunder's first five scores during a momentum-shifting 11-0 run that immediately silenced the Timberwolves' early spark. 'This is such a fun team. We're happy we're going to the Finals, but I don't want it to end. I don't want to stop coaching this team.' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder to the Finals Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Gilgeous-Alexander delivered 34 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in just 34 minutes, capping off his dominant series with the Western Conference Finals MVP award. Advertisement The Timberwolves unraveled. Edwards, swarmed by Oklahoma City's versatile perimeter defenders, faded into the background during the early surge. Randle, rattled by the Thunder's relentless pressure throughout the series, spent much of Game 5 in a daze, often glancing around in frustration after coughing up yet another turnover. Minnesota's defense was practically nonexistent. Gilgeous-Alexander moved freely, blowing past Jaden McDaniels on the wing and picking apart Rudy Gobert in the paint. Jalen Williams (19 points, eight boards, five dimes) and Chet Holmgren (22 points, seven rebounds) coasted through the game with ease, as the Timberwolves showed little fight or willingness to make the gritty, high-effort plays that playoff basketball demands. Randle paced Minnesota with 24 points, while Edwards chipped in 19, but his shooting woes continued as he went just 7-of-18 from the field. This marks the Timberwolves' second consecutive elimination in the Western Conference Finals. After clinching the series 4-1, Daigneault and the Thunder now await the victor of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for June 5 in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will hold home-court advantage. The Thunder's revival, fueled by a talented young roster and MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, signals the start of a new chapter for a franchise determined to pursue an NBA championship once again.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Former All-Star Says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Might Be Saving the NBA
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading to the 2025 NBA Finals. It will be their first appearance since 2012, and in large part, it is thanks to their superstar guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. More NBA news: Lakers Could Be in Position to Land Perfect Luka Doncic Co-Star Gilgeous-Alexander has proven that he is not only an elite player but also one of the top players in the league. He has consistently demonstrated this to be the case all season long, winning the 2024-25 NBA MVP award and leading his team to the NBA Finals, where he also won the Western Conference Finals MVP. The 26-year-old has done his part to be the difference maker in the league, but former All-Star guard Jeff Teague is taking it to the next level regarding Gilgeous-Alexander. On a recent episode of his podcast "Club 520," Teague didn't hold back when discussing the league's MVP. Teague praised Gilgeous-Alexander, saying the Thunder star "saved the NBA" by excelling in the mid-range and ultimately capturing the MVP honor. 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... 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. More Photo by"I wanna say something about SGA, though," Teague said. "I think SGA saved the NBA. I guess is what I'm saying. I'm not saying 'cause of how he performed, but the way he play, he saved the NBA 'cause the NBA is a copycat league and he perfected the mid-range game. "So he brought back the ability to be able to shoot mid-range shots because the game was either a three or a layup. I got crucified in Minnesota for wanting to shoot a mid-range shot if it wasn't a three or a layup for analytics. And him being the MVP and his go-to shot is a mid-range shot, he literally just saved the NBA." More NBA news: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Shoe Brand Takes Massive Shot at Anthony Edwards Gilgeous-Alexander has undeniably elevated his team to new heights. Despite facing his share of criticism, his talent and overall impact speak volumes. The 2024-25 campaign was one to remember for the 26-year-old guard. He helped guide his team to a league-best 68 wins while putting up historic numbers. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring with 32.7 points per game, recorded 20 or more points in 72 straight contests, and topped the league in 20-point games (75), 30-point games (49), 40-point outings (13), and 50-point performances (4). It was a season that firmly cemented his superstar status. During the season, Gilgeous-Alexander put up remarkable numbers, averaging 32.7 points on efficient shooting from the field at 51.9 percent. He also contributed 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. As far as the playoffs go, he is averaging 29.8 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 games and 36.5 minutes of action. If Gilgeous-Alexander can lead his team to four more wins, more people may start thinking like Teague. More NBA news: Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards Makes Bold Declaration Following Brutal Game 5 Warriors Guard Undergoes Unexpected Offseason Surgery For more on the Thunder and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
