We’ve discussed the World Series and the Super Bowl, but now it’s time to talk about the NBA finals since they are swiftly approaching. These are my predictions, plus a quick recap of each team facing off and how the playoffs have gone for them up to this point. Before the recaps, the NBA Playoffs, which started April 19th.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been an impressive team all season. They were in the standings for the Western Division. They are one of the league leaders for their excellent defense. Players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to excel, while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren made serious improvements. What made this team so dominant all year was their roster depth, defense, and the overall balance between offense and defense. Their offense created opportunities for their defense by having a high level of efficiency and only losing 14 games all season, with the best NBA net rating of 12.8. They started the playoffs off by beating the Grizzlies in four. In these four games, the Thunder scored an average of about 120 points per game with 25.8 assists overall. After sweeping, the Thunder then moved on to play the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets were the 4th overall in the Western Conference, and while they did put up a fight, the Oklahoma Thunder beat them in seven. The seven games were truly electric and featured two MVP finalists. Next up, the Oklahoma Thunder went on to play the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder won in five. Now moving on to the NBA finals, where the Oklahoma Thunder will face off against the Indiana Pacers. The Oklahoma Thunder have only won one NBA Championship in 1979 when they were still known as the Seattle Supersonics. Can they claim a second title this year?

The second team in the NBA Finals is the Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers were the overall fourth in the Eastern Conference. They finished the regular season with a record of 50 and 32. Players like Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam helped them get to the finals. Just like the Thunder, the Pacers have an impressive defense which will help for a competitive series against another top defensive team. For the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Indiana Pacers played the Milwaukee Bucks and beat them in five. Although Tyrese Halliburton shooting wasn’t at its best, the Pacers were able to dominate Game One. Tyrese Haliburton hit the winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining to help secure game five. The Pacers then went on to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in round two of the playoffs and beat them in five. This performance was impressive because the Cavaliers were first in the Eastern Conference. Finally, for the third round of playoffs, the Pacers went on to play the New York Knicks and won in six. In the last series before the finals against the Knicks, the Pacers shooting dialed up and so did the defensive pressure overall. All postseason long, the Pacers have been really successful in their style of play, their roster, and their ability to maximize the resources. Overall, the most impressive to watch has been their style of play and roster depth by using all of their players and running up and down the court consistently throughout the game. If they want, here it would be a pivotal moment for the organization since they’ve never won an NBA title.

For my NBA Finals prediction, I believe that the Oklahoma Thunder will overall take this series in six games. While the Indiana Pacers have been very good and often the underdog in a lot of these stories, they were a better team this year. I believe that the Oklahoma Thunder will overall come out on top because they have been stronger than the Pacers all year long in many areas.

This series is going to be truly exciting to watch. Both sides have dominant defenses which will make for competitive games while their offenses also are known for their speed and ability to score. Who’s going to take home the championship this year? I can hear the Thunder coming.