From 16 to 8 to 4 — and now, just two teams remain.
The 2025 NBA Finals deliver a refreshing twist as the Indiana Pacers take on the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder in a best-of-seven series few saw coming.
Tyrese Haliburton’s cold-blooded winner in Game 1 gave the Pacers an early edge over MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a Thunder squad widely considered the favorites, making these Finals already compelling.
[ALSO READ: Tyrese Haliburton’s five-word response to Finals game-winner, plus best internet reactions]
As the NBA's marathon 2024-25 season reaches its dramatic finish, One Sports caught up with several PBA players to hear their takes — and their picks — for this year’s unexpected, but electric Finals showdown.
Jordan Heading - TNT Tropang 5G
Heading’s prediction: Thunder over Pacers in 6
One of TNT’s newest additions, Jordan Heading has a conventional pick for the NBA Finals.
His reason? The Thunder are just like a well-oiled machine – both offensively and defensively.
[ALSO READ: Chot Reyes says Jordan Heading ‘day-to-day’ for TNT: 'We're not rushing it']
“I just think they [Thunder] have so many weapons defensively and they all do their roles offensively really well,” Heading said.
He added: "They know who will lead the show and that’s SGA and they’ll all play off him and when Jalen [Williams] gets going, it’s pretty difficult [to stop OKC].
The former top pick of the 2021 PBA Gilas Draft also emphasized the presence of OKC’s defensive juggernauts in All-NBA Defensive Team members Alex Caruso and Lu Dort, on top of the towering presence of the seven-foot Chet Holmgren.
Jeremiah Gray - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
Gray’s prediction: Pacers over Thunder in 6
Unlike Heading, Jeremiah Gray of the crowd-favorite Gin Kings is backing the fast-paced, run-and-gun Pacers to topple the Thunder on basketball’s biggest stage.
“They’ve got nothing to lose. They’ve been playing really well throughout the Playoffs, and I feel like there’s no pressure on them in the Finals,” said the 28-year-old guard.
And when it comes to pressure, Haliburton and the Pacers have repeatedly proven they thrive under it.
This magical postseason run has seen Indiana pull off five separate 15-point comebacks — including the rally in Game 1 — making the Pacers the first team in NBA history to register that many double-digit comebacks in a single playoff run.
[ALSO READ: LIST: Tyrese Haliburton and the five epic Indiana Pacers 2025 playoff comebacks so far]
Russel Escoto - Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots
Escoto’s prediction: Thunder over Pacers in 6
Hotshots big man Russel Escoto is also backing Oklahoma City to finish the job and win it all.
The 32-year-old cited one key reason for his OKC pick over the Pacers: youth.
“Gusto ko sila [OKC manalo over Indiana] kasi mas bata. Mas gutom yung mga bata na manalo, and maganda ‘yung core nila [as a team]. Sana makuha nila ‘yung championship,” Escoto bared.
This year’s Thunder squad is indeed making history. With an average age of just 25.56, OKC is the youngest team to reach the NBA Finals since the 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers, who had a 25.03 average.
Their oldest player is the 31-year-old Caruso — a former NBA champion — followed by Kenrich Williams at 30. SGA, the reigning MVP and the team's undisputed leader, is only 26.
Peter Alfaro - Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots
Alfaro’s prediction: Thunder over Pacers in 7
The former San Beda point general is also picking the Thunder to claim a first NBA title since relocating in 2008, albeit on a full seven games
For Alfaro, it's pretty simple: defense wins championships.
“For me, I’ll go with OKC kasi solid sila defensively,” he said. “Kahit natalo sila nung Game 1, I felt na nandoon sila sa game. Pero they have to take care of the ball more. They’re really good sa offense nila, and I think they can win the championship.”
How about you — who do you have hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy when it’s all said and done: the Thunder or the Pacers?
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
