With the NBA Finals preparing to tip off Thursday, the Indiana Pacers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder as underdogs in the eyes of some.
The Thunder finished the regular season with a league-best 68 wins and are led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers’ run, however, is a little more unexpected as they entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed.
Advertisement
Both teams are among the league’s hottest during the 2025 calendar year. Since Jan. 1, only Oklahoma City has posted more wins (53) and a higher winning percentage (80.3 percent) than Indiana (46 wins, 71.9 percent).
On the latest episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily,” Dave DuFour, Es Baraheni and Zena Keita previewed the NBA Finals matchup. They broke down what makes it so intriguing stylistically, then debated which team should be favored. They also looked at the coaching battle between Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault and Indiana’s Rick Carlisle. Additionally, they discussed whether Indiana’s depth could be the difference and, ultimately, gave their finals predictions.
Earlier in the episode, DuFour, Baraheni and Keita recapped the Pacers’ Game 6 win over the New York Knicks, which sealed the Eastern Conference crown. They discussed whether Pascal Siakam should’ve been named Eastern Conference finals MVP and whether the 31-year-old forward is among the best No. 2 options in the league.
DuFour, Baraheni and Keita also discussed the Knicks and the lack of synergy between Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the need for the team to better involve their supporting cast offensively, whether Tom Thibodeau is the right coach to get the Knicks over the hump and whether the front office should consider trading a core piece to add more depth.
Watch the full episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily” below or on the YouTube channel, or via “The Athletic NBA Daily” podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Photo of Pascal Siakam and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
