NBA Notebook: Conference Finals Recap

Here’s our final wrap on the conference finals in the NBA:

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Indiana over New York 4-2

Games 1 and 3 are what this series will be remembered for, with the Pacers’ stunning 20-6 rally to force overtime and then win the opener, and then the Knicks making an improbable comeback to avoid going down 0-3. But those canceled each other out and what ultimately decided this series were competitive battles in Games 2 & 4, both of which were won by Indiana. And the X-factor in those games was Pascal Siakam. He was an “every-other-game” player in this series. He dropped 30-plus in the second and fourth games, and then did it again in a comfortable close-out Game 6.

Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton were, as expected, the stars of Indiana, averaging 25 and 21 points per game respectively, and Haliburton averaged 11 assists. Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns were both more than up to the challenge for New York. Brunson averaged 30 a night and shot 50 percent in the process. Towns, who has faced questions about his big-game chops, averaged a 25/12 line. But the Pacers are deeper than the Knicks. Aaron Nesmith’s insane three-point shooting triggered the Game 1 shocker. Benedict Mathurin dropped 20 in Game 4. For New York, Josh Hart, their most consistent role player, struggled throughout the series.

WESTERN CONFERENCE: Oklahoma City over Minnesota 4-1

If this series was going to be any different—a big “if”—it would have to have been in Game 4. The Timberwolves were playing at home with a chance to tie the series. They were getting big games from key role players, from Nickell Alexander-Walker to Donte DiVincenzo. But at this crucial tipping point, Minnesota’s stars couldn’t come through. Anthony Edwards shot poorly and struggled with turnovers. Julius Randle made the first basket of the game and then never got a field goal after that. The T-Wolves lost by two and effectively lost the series.

That said, while Game 4 would have made the series competitive, there is still absolutely no doubt who was the better team. Oklahoma City completely dominated all three games on their home floor. They blitzed Minnesota in the third quarter of the first two games and then held the Timberwolves to nine points in the first quarter of Game 5. OKC is getting better as the playoffs go on. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander completely outplayed Edwards the series and averaged 31 points/5 rebounds/9 assists. Jalen Williams knocked down 22 a night, and Chet Holmgren’s athleticism continues to be a factor in the paint.

The NBA Finals begin Thursday night. We’ll be back between now and then with our preview.