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Oklahoma City Thunder set to make quick work of Indiana Pacers in NBA Finals | Vinny’s take

By June 4, 2025 | updated 7 months ago

Thunder Timberwolves Basketball
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, left, and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pose for a photo after the clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 28 in Oklahoma City.
The Associted Press

A dominant regular season doesn’t mean a thing without the ring, and Oklahoma City is going to get sized on June 17.

That’s the day after Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

The Thunder finished the regular season with a league-best 68 wins and the second-best net rating in NBA history. Oklahoma City’s 120.3 offensive rating and 107.5 defensive rating, good for a 12.8 net rating, finished second to the 1995-96 Bulls (13.4). The Thunder’s season was better than the 1996-97 Bulls and the 2016-17 Warriors. Add in last season’s Celtics squad, and all the other teams with a top-five net rating in NBA history finished the season as champions.

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Oklahoma City followed up the regular-season showing with a 12-4 start to the playoffs. The Nuggets were responsible for three of those losses.

Indiana’s not going to fare much better than Memphis or Minnesota. The Pacers are built on a high-powered offense, and Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam haven’t seen the kind of defenders on Oklahoma City’s roster. Haliburton is going to see a bunch of Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso, while Siakam can expect to see Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren.

The Pacers’ route to the Finals wasn’t as difficult. Indiana benefitted from Damian Lillard’s injury in the first round and a series of Cavaliers injuries in the second round before knocking off the Knicks in six games in the conference finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder poised to end NBA's parity era | Vinny's take

The Pacers’ late-game magic has made for must-see television, but when the Thunder beat teams, they bury them early. Oklahoma City broke Memphis’ spirit by winning the first two games by 51 and 19 points, respectively. The Thunder showed their grit by bouncing back from Aaron Gordon’s game-winner in the second-round opener and won Game 2 by 43 points. The Thunder finished off the Nuggets with 33-point win in Game 7. Three of Oklahoma City’s wins in the conference finals against Minnesota came by 15 or more points.

The Thunder have the best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the better coach in Mark Daigneault and more depth than the Pacers. Oklahoma City’s going to protect home court with wins on Thursday and Sunday and steal the first game in Indiana on June 11. The Pacers avoid a sweep in Game 4, but that only delays the Thunder’s celebration for a few days.

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Oklahoma City will be a championship city in a couple of weeks. It could be the start of the NBA’s next dynasty. At least the Nuggets will be able to say they gave the Thunder their toughest fight.

Vinny Benedetto

Reporter

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