By Dennis Guillermo
And then there were two…
Head and shoulders above everyone else, the Oklahoma City Thunder led by their MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander have been the presumptive favorites to win the NBA Finals.
In the East, the Indiana Pacers have been wreaking havoc with their fast and furious playing style and have snuck into the Finals and are widely heralded as the menial underdogs by every hoops pundit willing to share their two cents.
But that’s why they play the games.
I’ve heard it all before and in my multiple decades of following and covering the NBA and sports in general, I’ve learned that only dummies like Charles Barkley handout meaningless guarantees.
Is OKC a worthy favorite? Sure. Do the Pacers have a shot at winning it all, let alone not get swept like many have already been declaring? You can bet your mom they do.
I won’t bore you with stats nor analytics, they are all readily available for you to research. I saw both regular season games between the two teams and even that I’m taking with a grain of salt.
This is the Finals. There is no analytics or historical data to show how either team rises up to this level of play and stakes. As much as the Thunder have been dominant, the Pacers have been resilient and have shown the propensity of finding ways to win even in the more dire circumstances. They did it all year and in each round of these playoffs. You want to write them off or bet against them? Go ahead!
Never underestimate a team that made it to the Finals fair and square the way this Pacers team have done and stats aside, they have had the second best record in the league in 2025. This feels like Dominance vs Destiny.
One thing’s for sure in my eyes, this will be more competitive than most people predict. I expect at least 6 games and at least one game where the Pacers come from behind like they have been all season and nail another dagger game-winner. Can OKC survive it unlike the Bucks, Cavs and Knicks? Again, that is why they play and why we watch.
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