As the NBA playoffs are wrapping up, the semifinals are jam-packed with stacked rosters. With the Minnesota T-Wolves vs. OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and the New York Knicks vs. the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, all four teams have a chance to win.
The Pacers include Tyrese Haliburton running it down at guard, Pascal Siakam ready to get physical, Myles Turner prepared to grab some boards, and Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith stepping up as important contributors for the team. The Pacers may shock the world, leaving it in the dust.
The New York Knicks, however, have a fire burning inside of them. The last time the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals was 1999, and the last time they won a championship was in 1973. With Jalen Brunson, named Clutch Player of the Year, leading the floor, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart will all be ready to bring some heat.
KAT, one of the select few centers who can shoot from the outside and play strong on the inside, is a threat to be aware of all while keeping track of Mikal Bridges shooting from the outside and Josh Hart’s playmaking and scoring. New York’s New Year’s wishes might come true.
On the other hand, OKC has the MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) leading Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. While SGA is a primary scorer, the entire team is filled with reliable scorers and defensive beasts like Lu Dort and Jalen Williams. OKC is going to make stadiums electric and shocked with some of the calls SGA pulls off.
There is a different beast OKC is facing. The Timberwolves are coming in with a stroke of pride, and with Anthony Edwards marching the pack to victory, he has Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels right behind him.
When asked why the Timberwolves have gone so far, Daniel Covarrubias, math teacher and JV soccer coach, said, “The Wolves just have a different dog inside them. Anthony Edwards has something to prove: why he is going to be the next face of the NBA at the age of 23, a kid compared to others in the league.”
Dash Pimentel ’27 stated, “I think the Wolves will win in 7 because of just how fiercely they want it.”
As of writing this article, the Pacers have taken a dominant position by going up 3–1 against the Knicks. This was fueled by some heroic comebacks led by Tyrese Haliburton and surprise playoff star Andrew Nembhard.
Game 1 seemed like a sure win for the Knicks with a 20-point lead, but with a red-hot Nembhard and a circus shot by Haliburton, the Pacers stole Game 1 in Overtime. They then took full homecourt advantage with another win in the Garden in Game 2 led by Siakam. The Knicks tried to fight back with their own heroic win in Game 3, but the Pacers shot that down in Game 4 to take a 3–1 lead.
On the other side of the bracket, the 68-win Thunder have defeated the unexpected Timberwolves in 5 games. In Games 1 and 2, the Thunder absolutely dominated without much of a contest from the Wolves. Then in Game 3, the Timberwolves put on a historic performance, blowing out the Thunder by 42 points.
Game 4 was finally a close game, with the Thunder barely beating out the Wolves by 2 points, led by their young duo in the MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and first-time All-Star and All-NBA player Jalen Williams.
Game 5 was the same as Games 1 and 2 as the Thunder blew out the Wolves yet again. They move on to their first Finals appearance since 2012.
Whoever wins, the Finals will be epic!