Tyrese Haliburton scores a buzzer beating taking the Pacers into overtime, eventually winning. Photo courtesy of USA Today.
The 2025 NBA Conference finals first game began on May 20, 2025. Game one took place with the Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder. In the East, the Pacers took a surprising lead against the Knicks on May 21 by coming back from a 14 point deficit within the final minutes. The game ended with a score of 138-135 with Pacers taking the win on overtime. Meanwhile in the West, the Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a score of 114-88. A total of four games are needed to be won by each team in each conference in order to move into the next round. These wins put the Pacers and Thunder ahead with a score of 1-0 as they both fight for the NBA finals starting on June 5, 2025.
“The pacers are likely going to win in 6 games. While Knicks have the better star power, the pacers are better as a team and also play at a pace too fast for the Knicks,” sophmore Aryan Tangirala said. “Tyrese Haliburton is another thing the Pacers have over the Knicks, as he is out for blood after wrongfully being named the most overrated player of the year.”
With many games left, there’s no telling how these games might go and what the true outcome will be.