The 2025 NBA Finals will get underway on Thursday from the Paycom Center as the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers will take on the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner of these finals will win their first title in franchise history.
The Thunder moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after so many years in Seattle as the SuperSonics. The franchise won a title in Seattle in 1979, but the Thunder does not acknowledge that title as they left the history behind in Seattle.
The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough 2024-25 season as they were decimated by injuries from the jump, but there are some Sixers connections in these finals on both teams. The Pacers feature former Process champion TJ McConnell as their backup point guard and they also feature big man Tony Bradley.
McConnell was an undrafted rookie who played four seasons for the Sixers while Bradley played one season for Philadelphia and has been able to establish himself as a tough and physical big man option for coach Rick Carlisle to turn to.
On the Thunder side of things, they feature Philadelphia’s 2020 second-round pick, Isaiah Joe. After two seasons with the Sixers, Joe was waived before catching on with the Thunder. Since then, he has morphed into a reliable role player for coach Mark Daigneault as he has shot 41.2% from deep in three seasons in Oklahoma City.