Following a six month battle to determine postseason status, the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs tipped-off April 19, showcasing teams putting forth their best effort to bring home a title.
Throughout the regular season, analysts displayed their playoff predictions, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics being favored from the Eastern Conference. However, from the Western Conference, the postseason outcome remained unpredictable as the three-eight seeds’ records were only games apart.
The stage was officially set after the SoFi Play-In Tournament. In the west, the only predictable round one series was between the one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder beating the eight-seed Memphis Grizzlies in four games.
An unpredictable outcome, however, was the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. With an overwhelming majority favoring the Lakers after Luka Doncic was historically traded to the team in February, fans were stunned by the loss, and the Wolves gained confidence.
A more even series was the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, where the Nuggets won game seven with a shocking 19-point blowout. Additionally, the Golden State Warriors closely beat the Houston Rockets in seven games as well. The Warriors were slightly favored to win because of the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, even as a seven-seed.
In the East, the first round was more predictable. The Cavaliers and Celtics unsurprisingly won their series in four and five games. Additionally, the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five, and the New York Knicks beat the young Detroit Pistons in six. This predictability was soon disproven in the second round.
The Western conference saw close action in the second round as the Nuggets lost to the Thunder in a thrilling game seven where Aaron Gordon gave a shocking performance, playing through a Grade two hamstring strain. The Wolves beat the Warriors in five games as Stephen Curry missed the series after suffering a hamstring strain in Game one.
The Eastern Conference faced upsets in both matchups. The Pacers beat the Cavaliers in a five game series, with Tyrese Haliburton delivering a buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game two. The Celtics lost to the Knicks in six games, marking the Knicks first appearance in the conference finals since 2000. Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game four, and will likely miss the 2026 season.
In the conference finals, the Pacers lead the series, winning the first two games in Madison Square Garden, stealing home court advantage. The Knicks were able to take Game three, while Game four remains uncertain. The Thunder won the first two games, while the Wolves shockingly took game three with a 40-point lead, the largest in the franchise’s playoff history.
Predictions vary for the finals, while these teams continue the decade’s unique streak of having a different winner each year for the first time in NBA history. No matter who wins, it will be historical as the Thunder last won in 2012, the Knicks in 1973, while the Wolves and Pacers have never won a championship. The 2025 NBA playoffs have been full of fast-paced plays, injuries and upsets as fans continue to tune in for each game.
