Go ahead and own it: Most of you had these NBA Playoffs and Finals figured out before the postseason event tipped off.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, you had the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics slugging it out for the right to move on to the NBA Finals. As a Cleveland-born, ride or die fan of the Cavs since the Miracle of 1976, that was definitely the only possible matchup in my mind.
On the other side of the bracket, you dreamed that your upstart Rockets and Oklahoma City would go head-to-head in the Western Conference to move on to the Finals.
Admit it.
Who could blame you? These were the four hottest and top two teams in their respective conferences. It just made sense.
But that’s not what we are getting. The Eastern Conference looks completely different after the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks both upended the Cavs and Celtics, respectively, in the second round of the playoffs to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. At least y’all got it half right in the West with the supremely talented Oklahoma City Thunder making it through, where they are now playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
It’s not what you thought you would see happen. But you must concede that what we have is damn exciting when two of these four soon break through for an NBA Finals that will spotlight two up-and-coming teams.
So far, we are witnessing the coming of age of the young and exciting Thunder, who look poised to dominate Anthony Edwards and the Thunder. We are seeing just how unstoppable Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is and why he deserved the NBA MVP Award after leading the Thunder to the No.1 seed and a likely spot in the NBA Finals. But don’t let the narrative be that Gilgeous-Alexander is doing it by himself. The Thunder has a squad that includes Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and they are deep and play defense, too.
In the East, it’s looking like the Pacers could be on their way to dominating the Knicks after trailing the home team by 14 points in the final three minutes and winning 138-135 in overtime in Madison Square Garden during Game 1. The Pacers play the game the right way, unselfishly. But they also have one helluva money man in Tyrese Haliburton, who is knocking down game-winners and game-changing shots like they are just instinct. And how about Aaron Nesmith knocked down a flurry of 3-pointers to erase the Pacers’ deficit in regulation?
But you can’t count out Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns so fast. After years of frustration, the Knicks are finally giving New York fans a reason to be excited. Perhaps Haliburton’s choke gesture was reminiscent of how Pacers’ great Reggie Miller prematurely mocked the Knicks back in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks, of course, won the last two games of that series to move to the NBA Finals.
But if we start anticipating again, it’s easy to see an NBA Finals that features the Pacers and the Thunder competing for the right to call themselves World Champions in a series that will be better than expected. Admit it.
Now, who do you have winning it all?
