After three grueling rounds, only two teams remain in the fight for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Oklahoma City Thunder made their first finals appearance since 2012, with only a slight hiccup in the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. Unlike their top-seeded opponents, the Indiana Pacers were few people’s picks to make the NBA Finals out of the East. They dispatched a Giannis-led Milwaukee Bucks squad, a 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers juggernaut, and overcame a New York Knicks team that had the Pope on their side. Members of The UCSD Guardian’s Sports section share their predictions for who will emerge victorious.
Henry Stanger, Senior Staff Writer
The Thunder will defeat the Pacers to put the crown jewel on one of the greatest seasons of all time. The 68-win Thunder came into the playoffs with the highest point differential in NBA history, alongside the second highest net rating and highest simple rating system ever.
Thus far, Oklahoma City has proven to be just as good as those statistics suggest. It breezed past the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals. While 3-point shooting woes and Nikola Jokic’s brilliance extended their conference semifinals series against the Nuggets to seven games, the Thunder ultimately prevailed thanks to their all-time great defense and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-caliber play.
This combination has been the recipe for success all season. Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, and Chet Holmgren are all-world caliber defenders. They sprint around the court, perfectly switching and rotating to stymie scorers or capitalize on inattentive ballhandlers. This wreaks havoc on opposing offenses and consistently creates live-ball turnovers. Their speed allows them to run the court and convert turnovers into easy buckets, often propelling dynasty-era Golden State Warriors-esque scoring runs.
This combination has been too much for any of Thunder’s opponents so far to handle, and the Pacers will be no different.
Prediction: Thunder defeat Pacers 4-2
Ryan Kirton, Senior Staff Writer
Last month, I said teams like the Thunder would be at a disadvantage in the playoffs due to their youth and inexperience. The only player on their roster who has made the finals prior to this year is Alex Caruso, who — despite being a fan favorite — was merely a role-player on the 2020 finals-winning Lakers squad.
Watch this team play, however, and you would think they’re all seasoned veterans. The Thunder are a well-oiled machine. Even with the second-youngest roster in the NBA, they have all the pieces a team needs to win a championship. Their starting five has NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander, NBA All-Defensive first and second team players, Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams, and two athletic 7-footers who hurt teams on both sides of the court, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Tyrese Haliburton may have willed the Pacers to the finals, but after a hard-fought series against the Knicks, they might be out of gas. Meanwhile, the Thunder get a few extra days of rest and momentum on their side after running the table in a stacked Western Conference. The Pacers would need to get lucky to even have a chance at winning.
Prediction: Thunder defeat Pacers 4-1
Isaiah Benitez, Senior Staff Writer
Throughout history, thunder has been used to symbolize the wrath of the most powerful gods. Zeus, Thor, Raijin, and the legendary Thunderbird are just a handful of the divine beings who have been revered and feared for their insurmountable power over the skies. Today, the NBA’s gods of thunder reside in Oklahoma City.
Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder enter this year’s NBA Finals as heavy favorites. The team has cruised through the playoffs so far, only stumbling across one seven-game road bump against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets. Despite the difficulties of that series, the Thunder’s shocking five-game destruction of the Timberwolves has shut down any rumors of a quiet storm.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers have garnered an entirely different reputation. Emblematic of their automotive-inspired team name, the Pacers drive hard and drive fast, rushing through opponents with blinding speed. To support this fast-paced system, the team relies on three main assets: franchise star Tyrese Haliburton’s playmaking creativity, consistent defensive performances across its roster, and pure Indiana devil magic.
NBA audiences may have their new thunderous deity in Oklahoma City, but it’s no match for the evil sorcery that has fueled the Pacers to race past the Eastern Conference. This upcoming series will be close, but the deciding factor won’t be free throws or aura; instead, it will be divine powers. Harsh storms may fly through the skies of Oklahoma City, but the Devil resides in Indiana.
Prediction: Pacers defeat Thunder 4-3
