The Finals 2025 Preview: NBA's Ongoing Nightmare

The 2024-2025 NBA season will conclude as the two best teams from each conference will battle to be called NBA champion and get the right to lift up the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Here are the two combatants:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Seattle Sonics fans, look away. OKC has re-established themselves as a contender as they were in the early 2010's. GM Sam Presti has been with the franchise for almost two decades, and for good reason, the man has constructed rosters filled with Hall-of-Famers as Durant, Westbrook and Harden. He has been able to construct a championship-caliber squad due to a seismic trade that shook the foundation of the NBA.

Paul George wanted to go home to Southern California and the Thunder were willing to part with him, for a huge haul, of course. Well,....

Clippers: Paul George

Thunder: Five first-round picks, two pick swaps, Danilo Gallinari

It was a trade that sent OKC to the top and the Clippers to the bottom. Oh, I forgot the key component of the trade, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Free Throw Merchant himself. SGA has become one of the best players in the game with an MVP award in tow. He is the cornerstone of the Thunder's path of (clears throat) destruction. Along with SGA, Oklahoma City has built a roster from those draft picks and bargain free agent signings. Chet Holmgren is healthy and bulked up. Remember, he's not hitting his prime any time soon. Same with an unheralded third lethal weapon, Jalen Williams. Is he a small forward or a power forward? He is a two-way menace. Speaking of menaces, the Thunder have a brick wall in defense named Lu Dort (ASU alum). OKC spent some dough to bring in two key contributors, center Isaiah Hartenstein and guard Alex Caruso. Combo guard Cason Wallace and sharpshooter Isaiah Joe solidifies a deep bench. Head coach Mark Daigneault does not get the credit he deserves. The guy won a Coach of the Year and led the Thunder to 68 wins this year.

Oklahoma City is back in the Finals for the first time in 13 years. Hopefully, this go-around is a winning one for them....and utter pain for Western Washington.

INDIANA PACERS

Wow, 25 years is a while. After many seasons of just being there, the Indiana Pacers broke through and reached the Finals for the first time since the first year of the century. This squad entering the playoffs wasn't regarded as the favorite going in, but defeating Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York has given them momentum.

The Pacers are here because of the heroics of Tyrese Haliburton. After a trade from....Tyrese has been the franchise face ever since. A shrewd trade landed them Pascal Siakam at the deadline last year. They were fortunate that he signed an extension during the off-season. The rock of the team is center Myles Turner, who has seen the club go through many phases in his ten years there. Now, a Finals appearance is the icing on the cake. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are crafty wings who are able to get a bucket or force a defensive stop when needed. Tony Bradley and Thomas Bryant offer big center minutes off the bench. Benedict Mathurin is an unfinished product, but he can change a game. Veteran guard TJ McConnell and high-flying Obi Toppin help the Pacers in needed minutes with Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker adding to that. Coach Rick Carlisle is back in the Finals after a 14-year absence. That time, he led the Mavericks to an upset championship victory over the Miami Heat. The Pacers are also underdogs in this series and hopefully, history can repeat itself.

So, everyone is joking about how no one will watch this NBA Finals because the two teams are not from a huge metropolitan area like New York or Los Angeles. Here's a news flash, NO ONE WAS WATCHING THE NBA THIS SEASON! The ratings have dipped to unspeakable amounts. The product isn't good. Here's an example, Game 4 of the second round between the Thunder and the Nuggets was played on Mother's Day. The first quarter was, not exaggerating, the WORST basketball I have ever seen in my life. Yep, all 45 years of it, never seen the game played so piss poor that the league couldn't find a way to improve themselves. The playoffs were just a crap shoot as I watched the Stanley Cup playoffs more this year.

In conclusion, it should be a competitive final round to determine the champion of the wor....NBA. Take a peek at the action, at your own risk.

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