Throughout the entirety of the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Indiana Pacers have been underdogs. First, people believed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks would take them down in the 1st round. Then, it was Donovan Mitchell and the No. 1-seeded Cavaliers. Then again, with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. Now, the same situation with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
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Fortunately, they don’t have the entire NBA world against them. Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski reveals he is glad the Pacers are in the Finals.
Nobody could have expected the NBA Finals matchup to be between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Pacers. Of course, many people chose OKC to go far, considering they were the best team in the regular season. The Pacers, on the other hand, didn’t show anything special through 82 games. Once the postseason came around, they flipped a switch.
Indiana beat a trio of great teams along the way. The most recent being the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York was the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals among the two teams.
The Knicks displayed they weren’t ready for that next stage, losing in six games to the Pacers. Podziemski may play for a Western Conference rival of the Thunder, but believes the Finals will be more competitive with Indiana.
“I’m glad it was the Pacers, not the Knicks… If it was the Knicks, it would have been a sweep,” Podziemski said on Up & Adams.
Podziemski’s lack of faith in New York is due to the Knicks simply not having enough. The Knicks front office seems to be aware of that, too, since they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. Nonetheless, Podziemski doesn’t hold any grudge against the Knicks but simply believes the Pacers roster has the components to match up better..
The Pacers like to play five-out, which the Thunder do for various durations of the game. Their high-octane offense will push OKC’s outstanding defense to its limits, unlike any team the Thunder have faced in the postseason.
Regardless, Podziemski doesn’t believe it will be an easy feat for Indiana. “OKC is the best team in the NBA for a reason,” Podziemski said. “They won 68 games not by mistake.”
No team in the postseason has been better defensively than the Thunder. The Pacers have faced great teams, but nothing like Oklahoma City, who have versatility defensively across all five positions.
Only time will tell if the Pacers’ elite offense will overcome the Thunder’s hounding defense. Indiana’s magic has propelled them to 12 playoff wins, with only four more left to secure a spot in NBA history.
