The NBA Conference Finals continue with just four cities represented in the mix. Only one city is in a significant market with the number three seed New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference. They will revive an old rivalry from 1999 against the Indiana Pacers, who eliminated the number one seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers, this season. In 1994 and 1999, the Knicks eliminated Pacers and nemesis Reggie Miller, with Spike Lee cheering on the sideline for New York. The Pacers go in as the number four seed. The marque players in this matchup are guard Jalen Brunson from the Knicks and Tyrese Haliburton from the Pacers. The two squared off in WWE Smackdown earlier this year.

Haliburton finished the regular season with averages of 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 47.3% from the field and 38.8% from the three-point range in 73 games for the Pacers. He has led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back seasons. Jalen Brunson averages 26.0 points per game with 7.3 assists in the 2024-25 season.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the only number one seed remaining in the playoffs as they face the number six seed Minnesota Timberwolves. Guard Shai Gileous-Alexander leads the Thunder, and for the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards is their star guard.

After the Thunder advanced to the Conference Finals, they ensured that history would be made in the final two rounds of the NBA postseason. Three of the four remaining teams in this year’s conference semifinals—the Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers—have never won an NBA title. (The Seattle SuperSonics, which became the Thunder in 2008, did win the 1979 NBA Finals.) The other participant, the New York Knicks, hasn’t won a title in the modern era—they last won in the NBA Finals in 1973.  

The NBA Finals will start on June 5th and run through June 22nd if seven games are needed.

Editor’s Note: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has won the NBA’s 2025 Most Valuable Player award, defeating Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

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