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LeBron James' Teammate Crashes First Take Set And Reveals Who'll Win 2025 Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 20, 2025 5:43 PM ET

There are four teams remaining in the 2025 NBA playoffs: the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Thunder and Timberwolves play each other in the Western Conference finals, while the Knicks and Pacers clash in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Thunder had the best record in the NBA this season. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and the Denver Nuggets in the second round of this year's postseason.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors to advance to the conference finals for the second year in a row.

In the East, the Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000, while the Pacers took out the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers to make the conference finals for the second consecutive season.

On Tuesday's episode of "First Take," Stephen A. Smith and Co. had a special guest crash the set to pick his NBA champion this year.

It was none other than LeBron James' teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers, Markieff Morris, who is going with the Thunder to win it all this year.

OKC hasn't been to the NBA Finals since 2012. The Thunder faced James and the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, losing the series in five games.

The Thunder are third in the 2025 playoffs in points per game and second in total points. They are first in defensive rating and net rating.

Morris, who won the 2020 championship with James and the Lakers, knows what it takes to reach the promised land. The veteran believes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win his first NBA title this year and etch his name in the history books.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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