Could We Have Two Number One Seeds in the NBA Finals This Year?

Could We Have Two Number One Seeds in the NBA Finals This Year?

We are now at the business end of the NBA season. The grueling 82-game regular season is already just a distant memory, and the 10 teams that finished bottom of the standings in the East and West have already started enjoying their time off. The losing play-in tournament teams will now join them, as the NBA playoffs really get going over the next few weeks.

There have been some shocks and surprises throughout the year, with one of the most expensively assembled teams – the Phoenix Suns – not even hitting the top ten in the West, and Luka Dončić incredibly being traded away from the Mavs to team up with LeBron in LA. It has been quite the season.

Now, hoops fans will be checking the best NBA betting sites to find the perfect place to back their favorites. But can we use the regular season records as a guideline? Or does the unpredictability of the NBA playoffs mean that anything goes now that we have reached the time for knockout basketball? The Cavs and the Thunder have been exceptional all year, but does that really mean that both number one seeds will be playing in the finals?

Recent History

To see whether the regular season seeding system works, we should first of all take a look at what has happened in the last few years. If everything goes to plan, we should have been watching the number one teams going head-to-head most years. Even with the pressure of the playoffs taken into account, the best should rise to the top, right?

Well, no, actually. In the last five years, there have been zero finals between two number one seeds. In fact, only three of the ten top-ranked teams have even made it to the finals in that time. They do tend to win the championship if they make it that far, but it seems as though dominating the regular season means very little once the playoffs begin.

Who Can Beat the Cavs in the East?

Cleveland has enjoyed an incredible year. Losing just 18 of their 82 regular season games, there have been very few teams that have been able to live with the Cavs. Season series records show few that have beaten Cleveland more than once, but there are two interesting standouts.

Indiana was able to compete with the Cavs in their four-game regular series, and the Atlanta Hawks also won a majority of games between the two. At the time of writing, the Hawks need to win a play-in game to have the chance of making the playoffs – but would then face the Cavs in the first round. And Indiana could be the team Cleveland plays in the Conference semifinals if it beats Milwaukee.

Who Can Beat the Thunder in the West?

OKC has been the best team in the entire league this season. Posting a hugely impressive 68-14 record – that’s a 0.829 win percentage – the Thunder was a cool 16 games ahead of the second-placed Rockets in the Western Conference. Unsurprisingly, there have been very few teams that have won the series over the regular season against OKC.

There are two teams who might feel less pressure coming up against the Thunder in the postseason, though. Both the Warriors and the Mavs have enjoyed playing the best in the league this year – and (again) at the time of writing, the Mavs could be the opponent in the first round. Number eight seeds beating top teams is always a long shot, but surprises do happen.

Keep an Eye on the Dubs

Looking back on the last five years again, it should be noted just how many lower-seeded teams made it through to the NBA Finals. Miami was a number eight team when it faced the Nuggets in 2023, and fifth seeds playing in the most prestigious series of them all is not uncommon. It is with that in mind that we offer the Golden State Warriors as ones to watch in the West.

Although the final few games of the regular season went a little south for the Dubs, the arrival of Jimmy Butler at the beginning of the year changed everything. Suddenly, Steph Curry had someone else helping him win games, and it was actually a little surprising when the Warriors dropped into the play-in positions right at the end. These players know how to win and could surprise a few people in this postseason.

Time for the Knicks

If you are looking for an unlikely champion to come from the East, then it doesn’t get more weird than the New York Knicks. With their last championship won over 50 years ago now, the Knicks had been one of the biggest jokes in the league up until a couple of years ago. But now the Garden is rocking once more.

Coach Thibs is still criticized for forcing his starting five to play too many minutes, meaning that injuries to star players could have a major effect (as they did with Jalen Brunson last year). But an impressive first round series win over the Pistons could kickstart the playoffs for the Knicks and renew the hopes of millions of New York hoops fans desperate to see their team win it all.

NBA Finals 2025

With all the evidence suggesting otherwise, it still feels as though we will see the Cavs and the Thunder battling it out for the championship this year. Even though the last time we saw two number one seeds face each other was when Cleveland beat Golden State in 2016, this season’s two giants have been utterly dominating.

Part of the beauty of the NBA playoffs is that a team that finishes tenth in the conference can go all the way, of course. But don’t be surprised if this year’s finals is a true test of the two far-and-away best teams in the league.

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