Four wins away from championship glory, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will be looking to draw first blood in Game One of the 2025 NBA finals on Friday at PayCom Center.
Both teams are seeking to cap off what has been an impressive season on a high and end their wait for NBA glory, but only one of them will be able to get their hands on the highly coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.
Match preview
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Thirteen years on since the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook-led class lost to the Miami Heat in the 2012 finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder are back on the big stage, and this time, it feels as if a more glorious ending lies in store.
Mark Daigneault's men have been the team to beat this term, and after securing the number one seed during the regular season, they have continued to live up to expectations during the playoffs.
Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder made light work of the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, completing a 4-0 sweep to set up a high-profile matchup against the Denver Nuggets in the second round.
Trailing 2-1 after the opening three matches, the Thunder won three of the next four games to claim a thrilling 4-3 series triumph, setting up a conference final against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the process.
OKC needed just five games to see off the Timberwolves and secure safe passage into the NBA finals, where the Indiana Pacers now stand between them and the peak of American basketball.
Having beaten their upcoming opponents in both of the sides' regular-season matchups, Friday's hosts will be confident of kicking off their finals journey with a win on home turf, where they are 8-1 in the playoffs so far.
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Like the Thunder, the Indiana Pacers also made light work of their first-round opponents as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the last of which served up arguably the most impressive comeback in playoff history.
Rick Carlisle's men then had the task of going up against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had finished top of the East, and that was supposed to be a tough assignment, or so we thought until they claimed another 4-1 victory to reach a second straight conference finals.
The Pacers were thrashed 4-0 by eventual champions Boston Celtics at this stage last season but held their nerve this time around to dispatch the New York Knicks in six games that included yet another stunning comeback.
After missing last year's defeat to the Celtics through injury, Tyrese Haliburton played a key role for the Pacers en route to their conquest of the East, although he was narrowly pipped to the conference finals MVP award by Pascal Siakam.
Siakam is the only Pacers player to have previously played in the NBA finals during his championship run with the Toronto Raptors, and his experience will need to come to the fore if Friday's visitors are to pull off a huge upset against their highly fancied hosts.
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Team News
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Nikola Topic will not play any part for the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will keep the Serbian out until the start of next season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in each of his last four appearances in this matchup and is definitely one to keep an eye on here.
Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker is expected to miss at least the opening two games of the finals through an ankle injury he picked up earlier this month.
Twenty-three-year-old Isaiah Jackson is still facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines for the away side after suffering a torn Achilles in November's clash against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting five:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Williams, Holmgren; Hartenstein
Indiana Pacers possible starting five:
Haliburton, Nembhard; Nesmith, Siakam; Turner
We say: Thunder to win by 8+ points
The Thunder have been near-perfect in front of their fans, and it is hard to envisage any other outcome here than a win for the hosts.
We are backing them to run out comfortable winners at the end of the 48 minutes.
Adepoju Marvellous
