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Following another enthralling season of NBA action, the 2025 NBA finals await, with Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers squaring off in a 7-game series.
Western Conference winners Oklahoma City Thunder have been the dominant force in the NBA this season, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tearing things up and they are chasing their first NBA title as Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers are looking to break one of the longest championship ducks in the NBA, having won conference titles and pre-NBA championships but never having lifted the big one.
Neither side was too heavily fancied at the start of the season with the best NBA betting sites UK, but they find themselves just one series away from NBA immortality and it should be an incredible match-up, between two of the most entertaining sides in the competition.
NBA Finals Preview
Oklahoma City Thunder
It has been a steady period of improvement for Oklahoma City Thunder, who backed up their excellent Western Conference win in 2024 by reaching the finals here in 2025.
Clear progression has been made this season, with Thunder finding top form in the playoffs, where it eluded them last term. Big wins over the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and 2023 NBA champions the Denver Nuggets have underlined the championship credentials Oklahoma City Thunder have this time around.
Indiana Pacers
Over in the East, it has been one of the most open seasons in recent memory and the Indiana Pacers appear to have peaked at the right time – enabling them to reach the promised land of an NBA finals series.
Finishing 4th in the regular season Eastern Conference table didn’t pull up too many trees for the Pacers but they have saved their best stuff for the playoffs this season too. Impressive series wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks have positioned the Pacers in the 2025 NBA Final.
NBA Finals Betting Odds
A new name will to be etched into NBA folklore this season, regardless of whether the Thunder or the Pacers emerge victorious.
2025 NBA Championship Winner
Oklahoma City Thunder – 1/6
Indiana Pacers – 5/1
NBA Finals Preview – Head to Head
With these two sides set to meet in a NBA final series for the very first time, both the Thunder and the Pacers are breaking new ground in 2025.
There have been 101 previous meetings between these two franchises, dating back to 1976 and it is Oklahoma City Thunder who lead the head to head by 55 wins to 46.
This trend has continued this season, with Thunder recording two relatively comfortable wins over the Pacers (both home and away) during the regular campaign.
NBA Finals Preview – MVP
In reaching the 2025 NBA finals, both Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have been able to call upon some incredible individual performances throughout the regular season.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The 2025 NBA campaign has been all about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was voted the most valuable player in the league for the first time this season.
‘SGA’ was a first round draft pick for the LA Clippers back in 2018 but his move to Oklahoma the following season has very much been the making of him.
Now aged 26, the Canadian international is consistently producing mesmerising performances for Thunder and his stats this season speak for themselves.
Gilgeous-Alexander averages a hugely impressive 32.7 points per game, along with an average of 5 rebounds and over 6 assists per match, making him one of the most potent attacking forces in the NBA.
He has stepped things up in big games too this season, with massive returns against the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the recent playoff games and there is no disputing that he is the man the Pacers need to stop.
Indiana Pacers – Pascal Siakam
Along with Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam has been an integral part of the success the Indiana Pacers have enjoyed this season, and he will be looking to step things up again here in the NBA finals.
A 2019 NBA championship winner with the Toronto Raptors, Siakam has found his way once more as part of this exciting Pacers side and he looks to have the platform to showcase his talents.
Despite not recording huge numbers in the regular season, Siakam has been a consistent performer for the Pacers, and he has been coming up clutch in the playoffs lately.
Match-defining performances against the Cleveland Cavaliers and notably the New York Knicks have played a key role in the Pacers reaching this final and should Siakam turn up again, the Pacers will fancy their chances of causing an upset here.
NBA Finals Preview – Finals Series MVP Odds
Being listed as the most valuable player of any NBA final series would be defined as a career highlight for any player and it will have a direct impact on the destination of the NBA championship trophy this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 2/9
Indiana Pacers – Pascal Siakam – 11/1
NBA Finals Best Bets
Both Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have enjoyed stellar campaigns and in reaching the 2025 NBA final, they have set a great platform to build upon next season.
Thunder’s dominant showing in the Western Conference makes them the favourites to lift the title but completely writing off the Indiana Pacers never feels wise.
