Nearly a month into the 2025 NBA playoffs, only four teams remain, each just one series away from reaching the NBA Finals: the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers advanced after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and then upsetting the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. This marks their second consecutive appearance in the conference finals. They are set to face the New York Knicks, who eliminated the reigning 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics. The Knicks aim to bring New York its first conference championship since 2000.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder reached this stage by sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1 and then overcoming the Denver Nuggets in a tough seven-game series. Their opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who defeated both the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in five games each.
With the coveted Larry O`Brien Trophy within sight, here`s a look at how each team made it to the conference finals and what insights are available regarding these highly anticipated series.
Eastern Conference
New York Knicks (3) vs. Indiana Pacers (4)
How did the Pacers get here?
The Pacers are making their second straight conference finals appearance, though their journey this season had ups and downs. Following last year`s run, which was aided by injuries to opponents, Indiana started the 2024-25 season slowly, with a 16-18 record by January 1st. However, they have been one of the league`s best teams since the start of the calendar year, posting a 42-16 record including the postseason.
They advanced past Milwaukee in the first round and then upset the 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, despite not being favored. Similar to last year, the Pacers benefited from opponents dealing with significant injuries, including Damian Lillard, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. Indiana capitalized on these situations, closing out both series in five games.
Tyrese Haliburton has delivered clutch performances, hitting two winning shots in the postseason. He is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a playoff-leading 9.3 assists, driving Indiana`s high-powered offense. Their confidence, fueled by last season`s playoff run and their current momentum, has propelled them back to the final four.
How did the Knicks get here?
New York`s path to the conference finals has been particularly impressive. While they had a good regular season, they weren`t always dominant, finishing 15-13 after the All-Star break. They consistently beat lower-ranked teams but struggled against top contenders, holding a 15-23 record against teams with winning records.
Notably, the Knicks were winless in 10 games against the league`s three 60-win teams, going 0-8 against the Cavaliers and Celtics. This marked the first time since 1984 that a No. 3 seed failed to win a game against the top two seeds in its conference.
Despite these statistics, the Knicks have demonstrated a resilient, never-quit attitude. The emergence of backup center Mitchell Robinson, who missed 60 regular-season games but has significantly impacted the glass in the playoffs, has been crucial. This relatively new-look roster appears to be coming together effectively at the right time, which will be necessary to compete with a Pacers team that has played at an elite level for months.
What we`re hearing on the series
Discussion around this series often centers on contrasting styles. The team that imposes its preferred tempo and approach is likely to advance to the NBA Finals.
One scout noted the fundamental differences: “[New York] is top-heavy… at the expense of its depth. And [Indiana] is built more holistically, and relies on that depth to wear you down.”
New York, led by Jalen Brunson, prefers a slower, half-court-oriented game. Indiana, conversely, excels in transition and maintaining a fast pace, aiming to exhaust the Knicks as the series progresses. This fast-break formula has been a key factor in the Pacers` recent playoff success.
The teams appear relatively evenly matched in terms of personnel. New York has Mikal Bridges to guard Haliburton and OG Anunoby for Pascal Siakam. Karl-Anthony Towns and Myles Turner offer comparable options at center. However, a crucial factor could be whether Indiana`s Andrew Nembhard, a capable defender, can contain Jalen Brunson more effectively than he did in their previous playoff meeting.
Another potential decider is whether Mitchell Robinson can dominate the paint as he did against Boston, or if the Pacers` pace can neutralize his impact. The matchup between Robinson and Thomas Bryant when second units are on the floor is also seen as potentially favoring New York.
Will New York`s starting lineup be able to keep pace with Indiana`s?
Indiana boasts a highly effective starting unit (Haliburton, Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Siakam, Turner), which posted a plus-11.9 net rating in the regular season and a remarkable plus-22.1 in the playoffs. This lineup`s athleticism and balance have helped Indiana build and maintain leads.
In contrast, the Knicks` starting five has struggled in the playoffs, with a minus-4.7 net rating after a modest plus-3.3 in the regular season. While the Knicks` starters have shown flashes, they haven`t consistently meshed as well as expected.
This difference in starting unit performance gives Indiana a potential advantage. New York has often fallen behind early in playoff games, necessitating difficult comebacks. Relying on this pattern against Indiana`s potent and consistent starting group could prove costly.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
How did the Timberwolves get here?
The Timberwolves are making their second consecutive appearance in the conference finals, a franchise first. However, they don`t view it as the final goal.
“Nobody expected us to beat the Lakers, no one expected us to beat the Warriors,” said guard Donte DiVincenzo, highlighting the team`s underdog mentality. “We know that no one is going to pick us [against the Thunder], and we`re fine with that.”
Embracing this status, the Wolves started their postseason on the road, dominating the Lakers in Game 1 and securing the series in five games with several close wins. They received a break when Stephen Curry was sidelined after Game 1 of the semifinals against the Warriors, allowing Minnesota to control the series from the second half of Game 4 onwards, ultimately winning in five games.
While Minnesota finished the regular season strong (17-4) and has been dominant in the playoffs, they took time to solidify as a contender, starting 8-10 and sitting at 22-21 halfway through the season. Key acquisitions like Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, obtained via a training camp trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns, have made significant impacts. DiVincenzo provides bench scoring and defense, while the 30-year-old Randle is having a career playoff run, averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on excellent shooting efficiency.
Core pieces include superstar Anthony Edwards, defensive anchors Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, veteran guard Mike Conley, and coach Chris Finch. Edwards, challenged by Finch to improve his playmaking, sets the tone with his confident leadership. He`s made it clear that just reaching the conference finals isn`t enough: “There is no satisfaction. We haven`t done anything yet.”
How did the Thunder get here?
Oklahoma City`s commanding Game 7 victory over the Nuggets exemplified their playoff journey: efficient brilliance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, versatile support from Jalen Williams, and a relentless, disruptive defense creating turnovers.
This formula propelled the Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins and an NBA record point differential of plus-12.9 during the regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the likely MVP, led the league in scoring (32.7 points) with exceptional efficiency (63.7% true shooting). While his scoring and efficiency have slightly dipped in the playoffs (29.0 points, 58.6% true shooting), he stepped up significantly in the second round. After trailing the Nuggets 2-1, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.8 points on 65.6% true shooting over the final four games, delivering clutch shots to win Games 4 and 5.
Jalen Williams had a strong Game 7 (24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, seven assists) but experienced an inconsistent offensive series previously (10-of-43 over Games 4-6). As a first-time All-Star this season, the Thunder need him to perform at that level in the conference finals.
Williams thrives in transition, often converting defensive stops into fast-break points. In Game 7 against Denver, 23 Nuggets turnovers led to 37 points for OKC. Oklahoma City didn`t just have the league`s best defense by a wide margin; their defense often generates their best offense. They led the league in turnovers forced (17.0) and points off turnovers (21.8) in the regular season, numbers that have increased in the playoffs (18.3 forced turnovers, 24.7 points off turnovers).
What we`re hearing on the series
Despite Oklahoma City`s dominant regular season and likely MVP, some scouts believe Minnesota poses a significant threat to prevent the Thunder`s first Finals trip since 2012.
“That will be a fun as hell series,” one scout commented. “Minnesota is big and long, and comes at you in different ways.”
Getting past Nikola Jokic in the previous round was a crucial step for the young Thunder team. Minnesota`s size and strength, particularly across their frontcourt rotation, match up well against OKC`s desire to make games physical, which is central to the Thunder`s defensive identity.
However, a reason OKC`s series against Denver went the distance was their inconsistent offense, especially from beyond the arc. Jalen Williams, the second scoring threat alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, had stretches of poor shooting after strong performances.
Another scout noted, “Oklahoma City has way more explosive-night capability… I think OKC has the best roster in the NBA, but we don`t know if guys two through eight can make enough shots. If they can, they win in a rout. But, if they don`t, it`s a struggle.”
Will the Wolves win a game of zones?
The Thunder`s inconsistent outside shooting prompted the Nuggets to frequently use zone defense in their series. In fact, Denver`s 55 zone possessions in Game 4 tied the most by any team in a game across the regular season and playoffs, according to tracking data.
Oklahoma City averaged just 1.04 points per possession against zone defense compared to 1.07 against man-to-man defense through the first six games of the series. While they seemed to figure out the zone in the Game 7 blowout, that game was against a compromised Denver team.
Given this, it`s highly likely Minnesota will incorporate zone defenses after a week of preparation. The Timberwolves used zone defense in 52 possessions against OKC in their four regular-season meetings, their most against any opponent.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch heavily utilized zone in back-to-back games against OKC following the All-Star break. The zone helped the Timberwolves erase a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in one game, which they eventually won in overtime. In that final period and overtime, the Thunder scored only seven points on 17 possessions against the zone, according to tracking.
