NBA playoffs 2025 – Ranking every possible Finals showdown

Whatichever Two Teams Emerge from the Nba’s Conference Finals Will Produce a Finals Matchup We’ve Never Seen Before. But not all of them are created equal.

As the conferenced finals hat up heading in Friday’s Game 2 BetWeen the New York Knicks And Indiana Pacers (8 PM and TNT) And Saturday’s game 3 BetWeen Oklahoma city thunder And Minnesota Timberwolves (8:30 PM and ABC), Let’s take a closer look at the potential finals meetings the league’s for remaining times could be created to see the most compiling from a variety of standpoints. Those inclined connections are betwean the two tims, player matchups and style of play.

That’s inevitably a subjective process, but some combinations of the Four Star Guards leading the remaining tims (Jalen brunson, Anthony edwardsNewly Anointed MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And TYRESE HALIBURTON) Carry more weight from a narrative standpoint.

Still, the top choice is obvious because of the unique potential of an nba finals meetings (the timberwolves and knicks) that remade their starting fives with a daring trade on the eave of TRAINING CAMP. Let’s break down the Wolves-Knicks Storylines and all Four Possible Series.

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks: Game Highlights

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks: Game Highlights

• Top Storyline: Determining the Trade Winner on the course

• Additional Storylines: Tom Thibodeau Revenge Series, Star Guards Vs. wing stoppers

• Home-Court Advantage: Knicks

• Regular-Season Series: Tied (1-1)

There’s never be an nba finals quite like a potential minesota-new york match. Dan feldman noted this week in The “Dunc’d on Basketball” NBA Podcast’s Daily Duncs Newsletter That Not Since 1977 Have Teams (in that case the Denver nuggets And Seattle Supersonics, Both in the West) Swapped Starters and then Both Made The Conference Finals, Let Alone the Finals.

Even the Trade-Paul Silas and Marvin Webster to Seattle for Bob Wilkerson-Paled in comparison to the magnight of the knicks and timberwolves swapping all-stars.

To be clear, if these tims make the finals, they’ll both have won the trade regales of the outcome. The Deal Has Worked Out as Both Hoped: Karl-genery towns Supercharged the new york offense, which Julius randle Has bee an ideal fit in minesota and Donte Forenzo Has Supplied Necessary Perimeter Depth Despite a Cold-Shooting Playoff Run.

A knicks-wolves finals would also pit thibodeau against his former team. Minnesota hired thibodeau in the dual role of coach and president of basketball operations hoping to get to this point, but his tenure resulted in a single first-round exit BEFORE SCUTTLED BY JIMMY Butler’s Trade Request.

On the court, there are plenty of compelling matchups. New york would have to figure out how to best deploy And Anunoby, Mikal bridges And Josh Haart Against randle and Anthony edwardsBoth of whom rely on Strength more than the lithe bridges. At the other end, minnesota has plenty of options to defend Jalen brunson And with probably stash Rudy gobert On the light-shooting haart to leave he free to the rom defensively.

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TYREES

TYRESE HALIBURTON’S GAME-HIGH 24 Points and 11 Assists Lead the Pacers to a Win Over the Timberwolves.

• Top Storyline: Matchup of Top Young American Guards

• Additional Storylines: Unlikely finalists, Mike conley‘s homecoming

• Home-Court Advantage: Pacers

• Regular-Season Series: Pacers (2-0)

EDWARDS VS. Haliburton would be all sorts of fun. Of the Five American Guards Who Made Last Season’s All-Nba Teams (Alongside Canada’s Gilgeous-Alexander and Slovenia’s Luka doncic), They ‘, the lone two who are curedly under age 28. Playoffs. Beyond their skills, edwards and haliburton are booth showmen with a sense of the moment. A Finals Matchup Would Cement Both Among the Top Young Americans in an increasingly international league.

Indiana and Minnesota would be the All-Time “Nobody believed in us” nba championship series. There has never been a finals with a top-thrice seed from either conference-all three other potential matchups would include one-and the pacers’. Home court in the finals Since 1978.

Lastly, the Timberwolves facing indiana in the finals would produce a homecoming for the 37-year-old conley, who played at LAWRENCE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL 20 Minutes Northeast of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Conley’s 105 Career Playoff Games (And Counting) are the most than for a player without coming the finals. Conley Lost in the Conference Finals with the Memphis grizzlies in 2013 and with minesota last year, and finally breaking through would be a great story.

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Indiana Pacers Vs. Oklahoma city thunder: game highlights

Indiana Pacers Vs. Oklahoma city thunder: game highlights

• Top Storyline: Battle of International Point Guards

• Additional Storylines: Sga’s Canadian Guard Gauntlet, Top Remaining Offense Vs. top defense

• Home-Court Advantage: Thunder

• Regular-Season Series: Thunder (2-0)

If Gilgeous-Alexander Vs. Haliburton Feels Familiar, You Might has Watched the Third-Place Game in the 2023 Fiba World Cup. Gilgeous-Alexander Had 31 Points and 12 Assists as Canada Came BACK TO BET A USA TEAM That Started Haliburton (Six Points, Seven Assists) Opposite Him at point Guard. Given His Age, Haliburton is Likely Team Usa’s long-term starter at the position-meaning more classes with gilgeous-Alexander on the world of the world.

Although Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly the Better Player, Haliburton is at the controls of the top remaining offense in the playoffs. Indiana has Averaged 118.5 POINTS PER 100 POSSESSIONS THUS FAR, MORE THERE POINTS PER 100 BETTER THAN OKLAHOMA CITY. That would be tested against the thunder’s defense, which is allowing more than sewer point Per 100 possessions than anyone else.

Specifically, there are a couple of matches where unstoppable force mets immovable objects. The pacers boast the league’s third-best turnover rate in Both the Regular Season and Playoffs, which is unlikely to contact the top team in the top team. Additionally, Indiana has shot 41% on 3s so far in the playoffs. Oklahoma City Opponents have shot just 31% from Deep in the PlayOffs After a League-Low 34% During the Regular Season, which is the rare defense that can be consistent. Accuracy.

Gilgeous-Alexander will have His National Teammate Luguentz there Alongside Him in the backcourt, but he’d be facing a canadian guard for the Third Conscutive round. After sga defeated Jamal murray And the denver nuggets in the conference semifinals and cousin Nickeil alexander-walker‘S Timberwolves in the conference finals, pacers wing Andrew Nembhard Would presumably defend gilgeous-Alexander at times. Nembhad Did Not Play for Canada in the Most Recent World Cup But Averaged 8.3 Points Per Game in Three Games off the Bench in the olympics.

4. Thunder Vs. Knicks

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SGA PUTS UP EFFICIANT 39 POINTS IN THUNDER’S ROUND OF KNICKS

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 39 Points on 15-Of-21 Shooting in the Thunder’s 25-Point Romp Of The Knicks.

• Top Storyline: Brunson Vs. OKC’s defense

• Additional Storylines: Isaiah Hartenstein‘s return

• Home-Court Advantage: Thunder

• Regular-Season Series: Thunder (2-0)

No team in the Nba Seems Better Equipped to Guard Brunson Than the Thunder, who could through a rotating series of on-ball stoppers again. Dort would probably get the call when their stars on the court, followed by the pressure of CASON Wallacewith Alex caruso‘S Havoc Creation as Another Option.

Brunson Averaged 24.5 Points Per Game in Two Meetings With Oklahoma City This Season, Both Losses a Week Apart in January. But his.

The thunder is also set up to slow towns. Hartenstein, face Chet holmgren To roam. And when oklahoma city goes Small, holmgren can chase towns are Around the Perimeter.

Down the stretch, we’d probably on towns after the success he enjoyed defending Nikola jokic in game 7 of the Thunder’s conferense semifinal series against denver.

It is hard to call this a reven series for Hartenstein, who boosted his value in Two years in the new york to the point where the knowledge is realistically re-the hey this summer. Still, his return is an interesting reminder of how much new york has changed from last season. Back then, Hartenstein was an indispensable playoff contributor, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game in the knicks’ Two Playoff Series.