2025 NBA Finals Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers

It is one of the most unlikely NBA Finals matchups in recent memory. The scrappy Indiana Pacers punched their way to the NBA Finals by knocking out the New York Knicks in six games. The Pacers join another Midwestern team: the Western Conference Champions from Oklahoma City. The Thunder rolled through the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games and finally got over that playoff hump.

This NBA Finals features two of the league’s most electric offensive units, led by two of the new faces of the NBA. Before this year’s NBA Finals get underway on June 5th, we’ll preview everything you need to know about this unexpected and intriguing matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Favourites in the West

Almost the entire season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the favourites to win the Western Conference. Even still, the basketball world was surprised that they were able to knock off Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, and then rout the Minnesota Timberwolves four games to one in the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder are led by one of the best young trios in the league: Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and the NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But behind this trio is a deep bench full of scorers and defenders that add the perfect layers of depth behind OKC’s big three.

The Pacers will need to figure out how to stop SGA and the OKC offence. Minnesota was one of the best defensive teams in the league this season. In five games, OKC scored 114 points, 118 points, 101 points, 128 points, and 124 points. SGA is averaging 29.8 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field with 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists as well. Indiana needs a defensive answer if it wants to have any shot at defeating OKC in the best-of-seven series.

Indiana Pacers: The Underdogs in the East

Trust us when we say that nobody had the Pacers emerging from the Eastern Conference and challenging for the NBA Championship this year. The Pacers knocked off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the number-one-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and the stacked New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tyrese Haliburton is emerging as a true superstar in this league, but he’ll have his hands full with some of the best backcourt defenders in the league in Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. Pascal Siakam will have to contend with Jalen Williams, and Myles Turner will be up against both Chet Holmgren and Isiaiah Hartenstein. OKC has an answer for all of Indiana’s strengths on the offensive side of the ball.

Indiana needs to tighten up on defence if it wants any chance of stopping OKC’s onslaught. The Pacers have allowed more than 100 points in every playoff game except one, when they allowed 98 points to Milwaukee in the first game of the playoffs.
 
The Pacers also like to push the pace, something that could be difficult against OKC and its stifling defence. On the flip side, OKC is one of the few teams that played at a faster pace than Indiana this season, which is something the Pacers will need to adjust to. Fatigue is a major risk at this point in the season, and OKC’s bench depth could give it the edge over Indiana.

Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: 2025 Regular Season Results

The teams played twice in the regular season this year, and not surprisingly, the Thunder took both matchups against the Pacers.

On December 26th, 2024, the Thunder beat the Pacers by a score of 120-114 in Indiana. Then, on March 29th, 2025, OKC beat Indiana by a score of 132-111 at home in Oklahoma City.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points in December and 33 points in March, decimating the Indiana defence. Haliburton had one of his worst games of the year against OKC in December, scoring four points with eight assists in 35 minutes. The point guard had just six attempts from the field that game as he was locked down by OKC’s defence.

Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Playoff History

This will be the first time that these two teams will meet in the playoffs. Oklahoma City has made the NBA Finals once in 2012 when the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games. The franchise won the NBA Championship back in 1979 when they were still the Seattle Supersonics.

More recently, this iteration of the Thunder lost last season in the Western Conference semi-finals to the Dallas Mavericks. This was the first NBA Playoffs appearance for the team since 2020, when they lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets.

The Pacers have a longer franchise history than OKC, but despite this, they have only made it to the NBA Finals once in 2000. Indiana has never won an NBA Championship, losing the 2000 NBA Finals to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Recent NBA Champions

One thing we do know is that there will be a new NBA Champion this year. Not only that, but it will be the first NBA Championship for their respective cities. Here is a list of recent NBA Champions and who they beat in the NBA Finals.

The NBA Franchise with the most NBA Championships in history is the Boston Celtics with 18, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers with 17. The next closest franchise is the Golden State Warriors, who have 7 NBA Championships, four of which have been won in the past ten years.

NBA Finals Betting

There are plenty of ways to bet on the NBA Finals once they start on June 5th, 2025. BetVictor Canada offers a full slate of NBA Finals betting. Here are some of the more popular ways to bet on the NBA Finals in 2025.

NBA Finals Outright Winner Futures

Before the series starts, you can place a bet on which team you think will win the NBA Championship. Oklahoma City is a huge favourite heading into Game 1, but anything can happen in the NBA Playoffs!

NBA Finals Point Spread

Betting on each game’s point spread is the most popular way to bet on NBA games. Each game will have a posted point spread before tip-off. You can place a bet before the game starts on which team you think can cover the spread, or play live in-game betting when the point spread changes according to what is happening in the game.

NBA Finals Moneyline Betting

Placing a bet on the moneyline means you are betting on which team you think will win the game outright. Depending on how large a favourite one team is, the odds can be low if you bet on the favourite to win.

NBA Finals Same Game Parlay

Same Game Parlays, or SGPs, are a popular way of betting on multiple different outcomes or props on the same ticket. The more bets you add to the SGP, the higher the odds on the payout.

NBA Finals FAQs