They are so close if we look at their overall stats. Its just Siakam's consistency got the attenion of the panels that's why he got the ECF finals MVP which he truly deserves.

There's still lots of works need to do and Haliburton should perform very well since there's still finals to play on. Maybe in that series he can perform well than Siakam and could take home the finals MVP award.

For now I'm excited to watch the game 1 of OKC vs Pacers series. Curious to know who can score the first win of their final series.

New poll in the thread. Please join.

Which team will be 2025 NBA champion? Thunder or Pacers?

I voted for Thunder but I see both teams chances very close, like 51-49. I think small margins will decide the winner.

Yeah, they do not talk about the Conference MVP award that much. It's almost worthless, but it will add to the records of the players, especially in Wikipedia.

IMO, the best MVP will always be the Season MVP, where everyone could participate, and it's tough getting that because you will have to be the best in the league, and you are up against a biased media because of the votes. Just like what happened to Jokic.

It feels too long to wait. Maybe next time they can change the format of starting the Finals in 2 days, especially if both East and West Conference Finals finish it as early as this.

I do really hope! because if he is not happy now becuase Siakam  is the ECF MVP.
there will be a big problem to the team. the chemistry might get off.
well, to be honest.

I though Haliburton will get the 3 MVP this year

Pacers got the job done by 4-2 in total. Once again I must admit that it is quite surprising to see them in the NBA finals. They made a high effort in OTs and last moments during playoffs but I never thought they would make it this far.

Currently it is like 1.14 for Thunder and 6.00 for Pacers to win the NBA championship. Pacers' odds attract me a lot to give it a try for fun. Thunder are just playing very dominant recently. But I guess it wouldn't be a too easy series like 4-0 at least.

6.00 for Indiana Pacer to win this NBA Championship seem like a steal to me, yes OKC was the best team in the league in during the regular season, but Indiana Pacers have played teams as tough as the OKC is and they won, beating the Bucks, Cavaliers and New York Knicks to the finals is definitely not a case of being lucky or fluke, they were clearly the better team against those opponents, so I don't think there was any match up in the east that could have tested them better than Cavs and Knicks combined, so if they came out of both series on top, then OKC should be beatable too.

note: I won't be taking the bet though, at least not now, but I do think it's of really good value.

I think now’s a good time to start taking that bet as it’s already great value.

As for me, I don’t mind losing because I know the Pacers won’t go down easily, even if they do lose. This team has shown real resilience, they’ve come back from big deficits before, and that’s part of their identity now.

Most importantly, they’re healthy and fully prepared for the matchup. That gives me even more confidence in backing them.

No offense to OKC as well, but I really believe the Pacers have a lot of weapons too. If I’m not mistaken, they’re ranked number one in offense. OKC might be the top defensive team, but still, look at the teams Indiana had to go through.

They beat the Bucks, the Cavaliers, and then the Knicks.. tough opponents all the way. And one thing some people overlook: their coach has championship experience. He already won a title with Dallas before, and that leadership matters.

I’m seeing this as a long series. SGA will still be SGA, unstoppable, just like Mitchell and Brunson were, but the Pacers can still find a way to win.

What really matters is that Haliburton continues to be the team’s main facilitator. His unselfishness has been a key reason for their success. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone can slow him down, maybe Caruso or Dort will be assigned to guard him.

As for the bigs, I don’t think OKC will run a twin tower setup, since the Pacers’ big men can shoot from outside. It’s the same approach they used against Denver, even with Jokic being a great shooter. But this matchup is different. Every player on the Pacers can score, and what makes them dangerous is their confidence, they don’t hesitate when they get an open shot.