Tonight there is race 1. The Thunders are the favorites, the Pacers the revelation team. Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton key men, Caruso and Toppin the X factors
Oklahoma City against Indiana, young and choral teams that defend strong. Who represent small markets, a city that have never yet won the NBA title. Shai Gilgeous-Aalxander against Tyrese Haliburton, young and intriguing talents. The Finals 2025 are perhaps unexpected, but certainly delicious. A breath of freshness and novelty, just to not change: the conquest of Larry O’Brien Trophy will celebrate the seventh deductible different in the last seven years. Race 1 is scheduled at the Paycom Center, in Oklahoma, from 2.30 Italian time of the night of Friday 6 June. The Thunders are the favorites, the Pacers the surprised team. Here are the tactics and techniques of the series. Those who win it happens to the Boston Celtics, champions in 2024.
Shai against Haliburton
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Gilgeous-Alexander, 26 years old, the MVP Seasonal, against Haliburton, 25, the executioner of the New York Knicks in the Eastern final, which thus knew how to deny the reputation of the most overrated player of the NBA for colleagues, according to a survey of The athletic. Shai exhibits an enchanting game with medium distance, vintage as a style, and stands out in the bezel, a master in getting and then transforming free shots into points. Haliburton is all triple and iron attacks in transition. Both are not traditional directors, guards who know how to act as facilitators by exploiting marking doubling, the attentions that force the opposing defenses. They will not march each other, but it will be an unmissable indirect duel.
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) -indiana Pacers (5)
Oklahoma City (68-14): Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Jal. Williams, Holmgren, Hartentein. Main reserves: Wallace, Caruso, Wiggins, Jay. Williams. Coach: Mark Daigneault.
Indiana (50-32): Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, Turner. Main reserves: McConnell, Mathurin, Toppin, Bryant. Coach: Rick Carlisle.
The keys
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They have similar qualities. Those who show off better will win, under the same category. Both are young teams, the Thunders with their 25.6 years of average among the youngest ever. And the Pacers have three 25 -year -olds in the basic quintet: Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. They are teams with cumbersome stars without ego, at the limit is that of Haliburton’s father, not the child. Pascal Siakam, the second best Pacers player, is talent with a low profile, as well as Jalen Williams, the other All Star of Thunder. And Chet Holmgren, who completes Okc’s big 3, has never evolved to have further attention. They are choral teams, as long as rotations. The Pacers falls three axes out of the bench: the plague TJ McConnell, adrenaline battle veteran, the Ben Mathurin talent, inconstant, but capable of impressive peaks, and Obi Toppin, long super athlete. The Thunders respond with Alex Caruso, the 31 -year -old “Guastatore”, a defensive specialist, and Cason Wallace, a bitter exterior, but of potential, who is not afraid of anyone. They are teams that never fight alone. Merit of players on average with good basketball intelligence and coaches who have their team in hand. Rick Carlisle is a master of the role, Mark Daigneault has the advantage of having grown up in symbiosis with his boys. It helps, as complicity. Oklahoma City boasts the best NBA defense, Indian specialists such as Nembhard, Nesmith and Turner and ever has many elements that can mark multiple opposing positions. Both teams use the defense to obtain easy baskets in transition and thus avoid having to attack the defense deployed, perhaps the Achilles heel of both.
The factor x
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One per team: Alex Caruso and Obi Toppin. Caruso defends on anyone. From directors to long opponents, Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle even marked during the playoffs. The more experience of the more experience of Thunder, 31 years old, has already won the title with the Los Angeles Lakers. Hears competitive ferocity and mental strength out of the bench in a dowry. And you are fouls to spend as hard as possible. Role players do dirty work and he doesn’t complain about it. Toppin can sparkle in favor of the Pacers the account of the long quality: Isaiah Hartentein and Holmgren on one side, Siakam and Myles Turner on the other, at the basis of the basic quintet. More he left the bench, in fact. He can give his own hand bouncing and jump on his head to Hartentein, force him and Holmgren to defend him on the perimeter.
the prediction
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4-2 Oklahoma City. Seasonal direct clashes say 2-0 Thunder. In an NBA logic, a league of stars for modus operandi, the difference should make it the best player on the parquet in this series. It’s called Gilgeous-Alexander.
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