The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, as the Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Indiana Pacers for the championship of the NBA.
The Thunder made the finals by sweeping the eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies four games to none, defeated the fourth seeded Denver Nuggets four games to three, and then beat the sixth seeded Minnesota Timberwolves four games to one. They are led by Shai Gilgeous Alexander, the NBA MVP, NBA Scoring Champion, and Western Conference Finals MVP. The Thunder have been the best team in the league all season and are the favorites to win the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers took a route that no one expected them to take. They entered the playoffs as the number four seed in the Eastern Conference. They made the finals by beating the Milwaukee Bucks four games to one in the first round, then defeated the number one seed Cleveland Cavaliers four games to one and defeated the number three seed New York Knicks four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals. They have been underdogs this entire playoffs, and are led by rising star Tyreese Haliburton, who has averaged 18.8 points per game in the playoffs this season, and is considered to be the most underrated player in the NBA.
Expect the finals to be close, with the series going to six games at least. As for who I think will win the finals, I think that the Thunder will win the series in six or seven games, but don’t be surprised if the Pacers win the series, as they have been really good in the playoffs this season.
At least two games will be played in Oklahoma City and Indianapolis this series and each game, with the exception of game two and game seven, if necessary, will start at 8:30 p.m., with game two and game seven beginning at 8:00 p.m. and will be shown on ABC. If the series goes to seven games, four games will be played in Oklahoma City and three games in Indianapolis.
Tune in for the first game of the series on June 5.
