The beginning of the 2025 Eastern conference finals between the New York Knickerbockers and the Indiana Pacers is off to an electric start. Tyrese Haliburton hit one of the most incredible shots in NBA postseason history at the end of the first game to send the game to overtime. The underdog Pacers went on to win the game in overtime to cap the most fun game of the NBA’s postseason to date. The Pacers then proceeded to shock the basketball world by easily winning game two in New York to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. What in the world is going on?
With the loss of the Celtics and the Nuggets in the previous round of the playoffs the NBA is guaranteed to have their seventh different championship in as many years. This type of parity is unheard of in a league where repeat champions had become the norm. Never forget that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors met in four straight NBA finals from 2015-2018.
The Warriors then went on to qualify for a fifth straight finals in 2019 only to lose to the Raptors in six games. I still attest that they would have won had Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson not suffered season ending injuries during those series.
Enough about the past lets focus on the present. What is the reason for this newfound competitive balance in the NBA? I have two main theories.
My first theory is that the league is simply full of more talent than ever before. The quality of players in the league overall is at an all-time high. Almost every player in the league is an incredible jump shooter and will make you pay if you leave them open. The few exceptions are absolute defensive powerhouses like Rudy Gobert and Mitchell Robinson. These handful of players stick out like a sore thumb and get constantly ridiculed for their lack of offensive talent.
In the mid 2000’s and earlier there simply was not the same level of offensive talent that is in the league today. Players will spend literally their entire childhoods honing their offensive skills. Back in the day this was not the case for every player.
My other main theory for the cause of the newfound competitive balance in the NBA is the luxury tax penalties that have been implemented. The luxury tax has really discouraged the assembly of super teams that was the calling card of the NBA in the 2010’s. It has become almost impossible for a team to add a superstar to their team the way the Warriors added Durant after the 2016 season. I personally thoroughly enjoyed watching these super teams play. I will concede that they were maybe not the greatest thing for the health of the league overall. However, I will counter and say that people love to watch and root for the downfall of a dynasty. Lebron James and the Warriors were great for the league in that they gave the casual fans a firm rooting interest.
Now that I have finished singing the league’s praises about the newfound competitive balance, I would not be surprised at all if the Thunder go on to win the NBA championship in convincing fashion. The Thunder would be by far the youngest team to ever win the championship. They are not only the most talented team in the NBA, but they are the youngest when it comes to average age.
The Minnesota Timberwolves inability to cover Chet Holmgren in the interior has really stood out to me through the first few games. They have they best interior defender in the league in Rudy Gobert. Their backup center Naz Reid is also a very good defender. I expect more from them in this series.
I do have to admit that a huge reason for their defensive struggles is because of the amount of penetration that OKC’s guards are getting. Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Jalen Williams are easily getting to their favorite parts of the court so far in this series. This is what makes the Thunder so tough to play against. You can take away one of their offensive options and they still have three to four other good options. They are a very well-rounded basketball team. Despite their blowout loss to the Timberwolves Saturday night, I still believe they will win the series in five games.
I have been very disappointed by Anthony Edwards in this series so far. He is one of my favorite players to watch in the league. He has been appointment television so far in the post season. OKC’s defensive guards such as Alex Caruso have done a great job of containing him. Antman needs to step up and play bigger if the Timberwolves have any chance of making the NBA finals.
On the other side of the playoff bracket, I would be very surprised if the Knicks were able to come back and defeat the Pacers. I am already mentally preparing for a Thunder Pacers NBA finals.
I am done underestimating the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton. I have lost a lot of money betting against these guys. I will do so no longer as I am fully jumping on their band wagon. I think there is a good chance they sweep these pathetic Knickerbockers. The moment just looks to big for some of the Knicks players like Karl Anthony Towns.
On my personal power rankings Tyrese Haliburton was barely cracking the top twenty players in the world before the playoffs began. The way he is currently playing, I would have a hard time leaving him out of the top ten. He might even be in the top eight. Wherever he is he is definitely higher than that bum Donovan Mitchell over in Cleveland.
That is all for me tonight. I hope these conference finals become closer and more entertaining.
A bientot!
Bennie's Blasts 
Leave a comment