2025 NBA Finals Start Tonight: Who’s Going to Be the Next Champion?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is tonight. 

And listen…

I don’t care if you’re cooking on the grill, playing spades with family, or babysitting your children—you better have this game on your screen.

We got the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers in what might be one of the most unexpected, most refreshing, most FOR THE CULTURE  Finals matchups in recent memory.

No Lakers. No Warriors. No Celtics. No Heat.

This isn’t your usual NBA elitist showdown.

This right here?

Two franchises with no titles in the OKC era, both hungry enough to knock the plate off the table.

Let’s start with the facts: This is the seventh straight year the NBA is guaranteed a new champion.

SEVENTH.

The league has never seen this much parity, and if you're a hoop fan, you love it.

The Pacers—back in the Finals for the first time since 2000. Reggie Miller isn’t walking through that door. But Tyrese Haliburton did, and he’s leading a team with depth, pace, and a dog mentality that feels like a breath of fresh air.

They’ve got championship DNA in Pascal Siakam, who already grabbed a ring with Toronto in 2019, and Rick Carlisle, a coach with a title to his name after taking down LeBron, Wade, and Bosh back in 2011.

So don’t let that 4-seed fool you. Indiana's not scared. And they’re not just happy to be here.

Now let’s talk about OKC.

Thunder fans have been waiting a long time for this moment. Since 2012. Back when KD, Russ, and Harden were still boys sharing Gatorade on the bench.

But now?

It’s SGA’s team. And the MVP is ready to join elite company.

I’m talking about only three players in NBA history who have ever pulled off the triple crown in one season—scoring title, MVP, AND a ring: Shaquille O’Neal, Lew Alcindor, and Michael Jordan.

If SGA finishes this off, he's on that Mount Olympus tier.

Oh, and don’t forget the numbers:

• SGA is averaging 39 points per game vs. the Pacers this season.

• He’s scored 30+ in 7 straight playoff games at home—tied for the longest streak in NBA postseason history.

• And OKC is 8-1 at home this postseason, blowing teams out by 25.7 PPG at the crib. That’s BMF-level domination.

But don’t count Indiana out.

The Pacers play fast.  Real fast.

This is the fastest NBA Finals in modern history based on pace:

• OKC: 100.6 possessions per game

• IND: 98.4 possessions per game

Translation? We’re not getting any 87-84 grind fest like it’s 2005.

This series might look more like an AAU tournament with championship implications.

Buckets are going to be flying.

Siakam has been cold-blooded:

• 21.1 PPG

• 5.8 RPG

• 53.7 FG%

• And he's fresh off snagging ECF MVP.

That matters. Because this isn’t a “Who’s got the biggest superstar?” type of Finals. This is a team vs. team matchup. Roster depth. Coaching. Execution. Energy. Vibes. All that.

So let me say it loud for the folks in the back: this ain’t no fluke Finals.This is evolution. This is what happens when young teams stop folding and start cooking. This is what happens when the league finally tilts toward development over drama.

No superteam. No LeBron. No Steph. No Luka. No KD. No Giannis. No excuses.

And when it’s all said and done?

Somebody’s going to rewrite the history books.

Will it be OKC? Or will Indy pull off one of the most surprising title runs in NBA history?

All I know is this: Game 1 tips off tonight in Oklahoma City at 8:30 PM ET.

And if you aren’t watching, you might want to check your basketball soul.