Knicks Could Help OKC Thunder in Game 5

On Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the NBA Finals by crushing the Timberwolves in Game 5.

Things looked shakier just one round ago, as former MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets pushed the Thunder to seven games. Despite that, Oklahoma City only seemed to get better in the Western Conference Finals, disposing of the Wolves quickly. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued MVP output, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren found All-Star grooves, and the OKC defense continued its dominance.

Now, the team eyes either the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers in its final series of the 2024-25 season.

All signs point to Tyrese Halliburton and the Pacers advancing to face OKC, as they hold a 3-1 advantage through four games. Only 13 times in the history of the league has a team come back from a 1-3 deficit, with 284 favoring the other side.

Suffice it to say, the Knicks seem to be in trouble. But they could still do a favor to Oklahoma City in extending the series further.

The Thunder will have seven full days of rest between closing out the Timberwolves and starting the Finals, likely much-needed after a few hard-fought series. Additionally, the team will get a jump-start on scouting its final opponent of the season.

Should the Pacers win on Thursday night in Game 5, they’ll have six days of rest, and will be just one day behind in scouting. New York winning its second game of the series would both shorten both the rest and time for Indiana to scout Oklahoma City. Evening it up would do so two-fold, though beating the Pacers three times in a row feels insurmountable.

Regardless of who OKC plays or when, the Thunder are well-positioned to bring home its first championship in franchise history. They'll be heavily favored to win the series, and should match up well with either team.