Hello there.
The 2025 NBA finals recently concluded, and I noticed that there wasn't much talk about it here. I want to share my thoughts on it, and hopefully discuss it with others too. The NBA YT channel uploaded a full highlights video of the finals, so if you want to watch it, here it is below:
Before I get into it though I would like to go back a bit to the Conference finals where all 4 teams [OKC, MIN, IND, and NYK] had a lot going for them with winning the championship. The IND and MIN were going for their first Championship, with the OKC going for their first as a Thunder [they won when they were known before as the Seattle Supersonics]. The Knicks haven't won one since the 1970s. So this is a big deal for a lot of their fanbases.
I read a few posts that a lot in the NBA need the Knicks to win the East for viewership. The west is ok since OKC is the best team records wise, and the NBA has been trying to market Anthony Edwards as the next face of the NBA; so either one is good. So when IND got the upset on NYK, I saw a lot of people say this will be bad for views. IND and OKC are considered small markets, and usually have lower pull in viewers. Shai of OKC is popular, but Haliburton doesn't have the same level of popularity. In fact, he was voted as the most overrated player in a player poll.
After game 1, the number of viewers did show it was lower than the last 3 years, and is close to the low of 2021. But as someone who watched it, I was thoroughly entertained. The Pacers had a lot of turnovers and was down by 15 points in the 4th. But as they have done multiple times these playoffs they were able to come back from that deficit with team effort and a buzzer beater from Haliburton. What makes this game 1 special though, was how Haliburton's shot left 0.3 secs left in the clock, which is one of the lowest in the NBA finals history.
The series showed a ton of fun basketball plays. Pacer's team ball is reminiscent of older games where a lot of passes are made to get the best shot. I saw a good amount of mid range shots that a lot of people are saying is dying in the current playstyle in favor of three point shots. Shai going hot is always nice and scary to watch. There was also a lot of back and forth between the teams.
Reaching game 7, the hype was there. IND just had a strong showing in game 6 and had a bit of momentum going into 7 even though OKC had the home court advantage. There was a bit of caution in the air since Haliburton has a calf sprain going into it but will still play.
In the first quarter it was obvious that Haliburton was locked in. He hit 3 out of 4 three pointers and most of them were way behind the three point line. He was on fire and was looking to have a monster game. But with 4:55 left in the first, disaster struck. Haliburton fell down without any contact and was shown hammering his hands on the ground in frustration. He got injured and was eventually helped off the court. We later find out that he had an Achilles tear. I would give the Pacers a lot of credit for trying to keep it close even after this happened, but eventually they ran out of gas and lost.
Personally, I didn't have a favorite between the two. My team was GSW, but they were already eliminated. I was rooting for the Pacers because they were the underdogs, and I liked their style of play. The storyline was also perfect in a David vs Goliath battle; the most overrated vs the MVP. My favorite player was actually TJ McConnell. I really liked his hustle and effort leading to steals. He was also a big spark from the bench in a lot of games.
The injury at the start of game 7 was really sad, but the series overall was great. It would have been nice to see them battle it out at full strength, but there have been a lot of injuries this playoffs. With the OKC winning the championship, there have been different NBA champions every year since 2019. I think the NBA has been doing a good job of preventing dynasties, and even small market teams have become very competitive. With the recent KD trade, I am looking forward to how the next NBA season turns out.
