The 2025 NBA Finals Thread

[Hoop Head]

Yep, can't carry over the extra points. Just counts as one.

OKC is a juggernaut though. They deserve some credit but they also set the record for largest point differential in a season at 12.87 points, which is over a half a point better than #2 which was the 71-72 Lakers.

Largest Point Differential Per Game By A NBA Team In A Season | StatMuse

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the highest point differential per game played by a team in a season, with 12.87 this season.

www.statmuse.com

 

[Superbone]

Yep, if they can do this consistently throughout the playoffs, they will be world champs.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Sam Presti.

I get HOW they got here. I just look at their roster and I don’t how they are THIS good. Good, for sure. Dominant? Obviously but it escapes me how. Granted I don’t watch them much.

 

[Adrian]

NBA playoffs 2025: Thunder's thrashing of Grizzlies in Game 1 is one for the NBA record books

If anybody wasn't already on notice about a dominant Thunder team, they should be now.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Adrian]

NBA playoffs: Stephen Curry leads Warriors past Rockets; Cavs guards dominate Heat; Celtics rally and Thunder roll

Some key points and observations from Sunday's NBA playoff slate.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Adrian]

Ja Morant makes guarantee after awful Game 1 loss

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant made a blunt promise after his team’s ugly Game 1 loss.

www.yardbarker.com

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

memphis gets blown off the planet

nuggets need ot to close out the clippers

if you can your coach don't wait until the playoffs

 

[Russ Smith]

Man I hope the Warriors game is competitive the first 3 games today were not. The most competitive is Cleveland and they're just toying with Miami

 

[Adrian]

Heat down 8. Late in the third quarter.

 

[Hoop Head]

I get HOW they got here. I just look at their roster and I don’t how they are THIS good. Good, for sure. Dominant? Obviously but it escapes me how. Granted I don’t watch them much.

You need to watch them more. They're like Boston except they take smarter 3's. They needed the experience last year for the run they're on now. They should cruise to the finals.

 

[Adrian]

Heat down 8 after the third quarter

 

[Crimson Warrior]

I don’t understand how OKC is THIS good.

Our GM, Sam Presti, is brilliant.

I mean, he's like "rain man" brilliant.

How many toothpicks in the box Sam?

 

[Russ Smith]

They have to change the rule about not having a challenge on an out of bounds call. I'm a W's fan but that was clearly off Green and led directly to a 3 by Steph. Huge call

 

[Phrazbit]

This is the exact kind of series we need from Houston, total inability to score.

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

butler has made quite the difference in golden state - but that's because he's a true pf and curry is a pg

 

[Russ Smith]

Been saying for years I wanted Adams on the W's, not just because he's a Kiwi. He's the primary reason Houston got back in the game he started getting to the O glass and then they had to put 2 guys to block him off and then Thompson kept getting O boards. Playing Adams with Sengun together really flipped the game they were just so big inside against the smaller W's.

But man what a game from Butler. I guess I'm spoiled with Steph but he didn't really have a great game and had some huge turnovers, just made those 2 crazy late clock 3's at huge moments. His off games are better than most peoples great games.

Post looked like a rookie in his first playoff game and my god Buddy Hield was bad. I'm going to continue to go with kerr because the advanced stats say he's right but man it's hard to watch Buddy play that badly and Kuminga not even get in again.

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

This is the exact kind of series we need from Houston, total inability to score.

they sure looked like they could use a kd

 

[Hoop Head]

This is the exact kind of series we need from Houston, total inability to score.

There's no way they give up our picks. They're too valuable. I could see us getting the lesser of ours or the Rockets picks, which isn't great. Houston is having an OKC type season where this is all about gaining experience more than looking to make big changes. I highly doubt they'd offer up the contracts for a KD or Booker in a trade. VanVleet is their worst deal and I believe that expires this offseason, which makes a deal involving it nonexistent.

 

[Phrazbit]

There's no way they give up our picks. They're too valuable. I could see us getting the lesser of ours or the Rockets picks, which isn't great. Houston is having an OKC type season where this is all about gaining experience more than looking to make big changes. I highly doubt they'd offer up the contracts for a KD or Booker in a trade. VanVleet is their worst deal and I believe that expires this offseason, which makes a deal involving it nonexistent.

They totally lack high end offense players, Green is an inefficient chucker. But they're loaded to the gills with defenders, they have the contract ballast (Van Vleet's contract has a team option) to make a trade work and they, allegedly, got our picks from the Nets for exactly this purpose.

Maybe they've seen our ineptness and will want to hang on to those picks, but if they go down in this series, unable to crack 90 points per game, then they will need to get an offensive weapon to make the next leap.

I doubt we could get all 3 picks, they're probably the most valuable draft capitol in the league, but we have what they need and they have what we need. A match seems like a decent bet... so long as they lose and lose ugly.

 

[Adrian]

NBA playoffs 2025: Jayson Tatum's X-rays come back clean after flagrant foul, fall on wrist during Celtics' rout of Magic

While the results of the X-rays were good news for Tatum, it's not clear from Tatum's answers how much his wrist is bothering him or if it will impact him moving forward.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[95pro]

NBA playoffs 2025: Jayson Tatum's X-rays come back clean after flagrant foul, fall on wrist during Celtics' rout of Magic

While the results of the X-rays were good news for Tatum, it's not clear from Tatum's answers how much his wrist is bothering him or if it will impact him moving forward.

sports.yahoo.com

I thought it was a lot of acting

 

[Cheesebeef]

NBA playoffs 2025: Jayson Tatum's X-rays come back clean after flagrant foul, fall on wrist during Celtics' rout of Magic

While the results of the X-rays were good news for Tatum, it's not clear from Tatum's answers how much his wrist is bothering him or if it will impact him moving forward.

sports.yahoo.com

They could probably rest him this entire series and they wouldn’t lose more than 1 game.

 

[Proximo]

I get HOW they got here. I just look at their roster and I don’t how they are THIS good. Good, for sure. Dominant? Obviously but it escapes me how. Granted I don’t watch them much.

They play like a team and take good shots, and they are very good defenders and they are deep. Shai might be the 2nd best player in the league behind Jokic.

They really don't have a weakness that I can see.

 

[95pro]

They play like a team and take good shots, and they are very good defenders and they are deep. Shai might be the 2nd best player in the league behind Jokic.

They really don't have a weakness that I can see.

Maybe inexperience.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I get that Joker is amazing but I was listening to a pod today making the argument that he deserves the MVP over Shai, which I think is just bunk. Shai led a young team to one of the best records of all time, while putting up MJ-esque stats at 33/5/6.

Dude deserves his flowers this year. That team is really deep but he is the straw that stirs the entire drink.

We should be as smart as OKC was when they realized their combo of Westbrook/George was never going to be the thing and blew up that team and got a kings ransom for George and picks for Westbrook too.

Book is our George and KD is our Westbrook, but still prob a little more valuable. We could have an instant rebuild by dealing both of those guys.

Man, I wish we had a Sam Presti.