2025 NBA Finals Roundtable: What are your boldest predictions?

Matt Hanifan / NBA / June 5, 2025

2025 NBA Finals Roundtable: What are your boldest predictions?

Today is the day! The 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers tip off Thursday evening! We will be doing a four-part roundtable, with the first two discussing our X-Factors for the series.

Who are our boldest predictions ahead of the NBA Finals?!? Here is our team’s responses!

Jiarmani Depena:

This series goes 7 games. Also, I believe the Pacers will steal Game 1.

Chickster:

Luguentz Dort and Bennedict Mathurin get ejected in the same game or even suspended.

Part of the reason why I like both of these players is that they’re frustrating players to play against, with Lu Dort’s physicality and Benedict Mathurin’s shit talking, it seems like a recipe for a scuffle that could lead to an ejection for both players.

Anthony Miranda:

Tyrese Haliburton will have one more incredible late-game takeover. I think he will carry the Pacers to one more insane win with another iconic shot. Also, I think SGA can break the top 15 for most points per game in a finals series, which would put him at 33.8 points per game this series.

James Herrick:

The Thunder have the most success with Isaiah Hartenstein off the floor. I expect that Hartenstein will struggle to keep up with the pace of the Pacers’ offensive. He had similar issues in previous matchups against the Pacers when he was a member of the New York Knicks. Without Hartenstien, the Thunder can still manage defensive matchups and will run the floor at a better rate.
The Pacers only win blowouts.

In the games the Pacers win, I expect them to win big. The Pacers play at an absurd pace and can get remarkably hot from three-point range. I expect there to be a couple of games in this series where they jump the Thunder early on and hold the lead for the entire game. Conversely, despite Haliburton’s unreal clutch time performances, I expect the Thunder to lean on their MVP leader and outstanding defense to close out close games.