Ranking the 4 potential NBA Finals matchups

The Eastern and Western Conference finals were decided when the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder secured spots in the penultimate round, joining the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here, we rank the four potential combinations to meet in the NBA Finals, which begin June 5.

4. Pacers vs. Timberwolves

Key matchup: Tyrese Haliburton versus Anthony Edwards

It may rank fourth on our list, but a series between the Timberwolves and Pacers would be a sight to behold. These two top-10 offenses go about their scoring in very different ways. Indiana is run-and-gun, pushing the ball whenever possible, while Minnesota was the sixth-slowest team in the regular season.

The Pacers won both contests in March. Controlling the glass would be key for both squads. Minnesota's gargantuan starting five is averaging 9.2 offensive rebounds per game in the postseason. Rudy Gobert, in particular, has been a menace on the glass and pulled down eight offensive boards across his two regular-season matchups against Indiana. To their credit, the Pacers have been the best defensive rebounding team in the playoffs, grabbing 43.7 per game.

Both teams possess explosive guards who can take over a series. Haliburton has turned into prime Steve Nash since the calendar flipped to 2025; including playoff games, the Pacers guard has racked up an absurd 472 assists to just 78 turnovers. Edwards, meanwhile, was the regular season's second-leading scorer (29.5) and recorded nine games of 40-plus points.

3. Thunder vs. Pacers

Key matchup: Jalen Williams versus Pascal Siakam

An Oklahoma City-Indiana matchup could be considered one of the smallest in terms of market size, but that doesn't take anything away from their quality of basketball. In a clash of contrasting styles, the Pacers rank first in offensive rating (117.3) out of all teams remaining in the playoffs, while the Thunder have the top defensive rating (101.6).

Oklahoma City won both regular-season matchups. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped at least 30 points in each, while Indiana struggled to get a high-scoring effort from any player. The Pacers would need someone to take the reins offensively to match SGA. Siakam leads the team in playoff scoring at 18.8 points per game, but Tyrese Haliburton (17.5) and Myles Turner (16.5) are close behind.

The Thunder have intriguing matchups to defend Siakam. They used several different defenders in their final regular-season matchup, most notably Jalen Williams. Siakam would be the likely candidate to guard J-Dub, who averaged 17.6 points in the West semifinals.

2. Thunder vs. Knicks

Key matchup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander versus Jalen Brunson

The Thunder and Knicks are led by ball-dominant point guards who can both score and distribute at will. Eyeballs will be on Gilgeous-Alexander and Brunson, who are both averaging at least 28 points and 6.5 assists in the postseason.

Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein would be a player of interest. The former Knicks big man spent two seasons with New York, but Oklahoma City signed him away last summer. Hartenstein averaged career highs in points (11.2), rebounds (10.7), and assists (3.8) during the regular season. He ranks fourth in points and second in rebounds for his team in the playoffs.

A key contrast would be the minutes distribution. No player in the Knicks' starting lineup is averaging less than 35 minutes, while Oklahoma City's deep rotation has nine players averaging at least 11 minutes. Only Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams play as much as New York's starting five.

1. Knicks vs. Timberwolves

Key matchup: Julius Randle versus Karl-Anthony Towns

We rarely see two teams swap multiple-time All-Stars and face off in the NBA Finals a few months later. The trade involving Towns for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo has been an unmitigated success for both franchises; an NBA title would make it a championship-winning trade for one organization.

Towns' acquisition gave the Knicks an elite shooter, as the 29-year-old is knocking down 42% of his 3-pointers. Randle, meanwhile, gifted the T-Wolves some interior toughness and scoring, grabbing 2.1 offensive rebounds per game despite playing next to Rudy Gobert. The battle between Brunson and Edwards is another tantalizing matchup involving two of the league's best offensive guards. Brunson and Edwards are the postseason's sixth- and eighth-leading scorers, respectively.

How 37-year-old Mike Conley holds up would be a major storyline. New York and Minnesota split the season series 1-1. Conley scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the T-Wolves' victory, but he was held to three points and hit just one of his five field-goal attempts in the loss.