Honestly, if you had told me in October that the Indiana Pacers would be a Tyrese Haliburton Achilles tendon away from potentially hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy, I probably would’ve laughed. Hard. But here we are. The dust has finally settled on the nba 2025 playoff results, and the league looks completely different than it did twelve months ago. The Oklahoma City Thunder are champions. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a made man. And the "old guard" of the NBA? They're mostly watching from the sidelines, wondering where it all went wrong.
It wasn't just a win for OKC; it was a coronation. The Thunder finished the regular season with a staggering 68-14 record, but the postseason is a different beast. We've seen "regular season teams" crumble before. This time felt different. Shai wasn't just scoring; he was inevitable. He became the first player in 25 years to win the scoring title, the league MVP, and the Finals MVP in the same season. That’s Shaq territory. That's Jordan territory.
The Road to the 2025 Finals: Chaos in Every Bracket
The Eastern Conference was a literal minefield. Most experts (myself included, truthfully) thought the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics would walk to the Finals. Cleveland was a juggernaut, winning 64 games and putting up a historic +122 point differential in their first-round sweep of the Miami Heat. They looked untouchable. Until they met Rick Carlisle’s Pacers.
Indiana didn't care about the seeding. They took down a hobbled Giannis and the Bucks in five, then absolutely stunned the Cavs in the second round. But the real drama was in the Atlantic Division showdown. The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics gave us a series for the ages. In Game 1 and Game 2, the Knicks did something no team had ever done: they came back from 20-point deficits in back-to-back games. On the flip side, the Celtics became the first team to blow back-to-back 20-point leads. It was a collapse of epic proportions, made worse by Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury in Game 6.
West Side Story: Youth Over Experience
Over in the West, it was a bloodbath of a different kind.
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- The Thunder made quick work of Memphis (a 4-0 sweep).
- The Nuggets and Clippers went to a brutal seven games, with Nikola Jokić eventually dragging Denver through.
- The Timberwolves finally got the monkey off their back, knocking out LeBron James and the Lakers in five games.
That Lakers exit felt like the end of an era. Anthony Edwards was literally waving goodbye to the crowd in LA. It was cold. It was also the first time in franchise history the Lakers were bounced in the first round while holding a top-three seed.
The Thunder vs. Nuggets: A Heavyweight Second Round
The real "Finals before the Finals" happened in the Western Conference Semifinals. It was the two MVP favorites—SGA and Jokić—going head-to-head. This series was insane. OKC scored 87 points in the first half of Game 2. Read that again. 87 points. That tied a playoff record that had stood since 1978.
But Denver didn't quit. They pushed it to seven games. Ultimately, the youth and depth of Oklahoma City wore the Nuggets down. Jalen Williams emerged as a legitimate secondary superstar, and Chet Holmgren’s rim protection made life miserable for anyone not named Nikola. By the time the Thunder met Minnesota in the WCF, they were firing on all cylinders. They handled the Wolves in five games, setting up the most improbable Finals matchup in years.
The NBA 2025 Playoff Results: A Seven-Game Finals Thriller
Most people thought the Finals would be a sweep. The Thunder had 18 more wins than the Pacers. On paper, it was a mismatch. But the Pacers have this weird, gritty "zombie" energy where they just refuse to die. They actually stole Game 1 in OKC, 111-110, behind a balanced attack led by Pascal Siakam.
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The series swung back and forth like a pendulum.
- Thunder bounce back in Game 2.
- Pacers protect home court in Game 3.
- SGA takes over in Game 4 and 5.
- Indiana forces a Game 7 with a dominant Game 6 win.
Then came the heartbreak. June 22, 2025. Game 7 in Oklahoma City. The atmosphere was electric. Then, in the first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton went down. No contact. Just that sickening pop. He tore his Achilles. The air went out of the building for a second, then the Thunder realized the door was open. Even without their leader, the Pacers fought, but you can’t beat a 68-win team without your engine. The Thunder won 103-91.
Stat Leaders That Defined the Postseason
When you look at the total numbers, the dominance of certain players is kind of terrifying. Shai finished with 688 total points in the playoffs. Karl-Anthony Towns, despite the early exit for the Knicks in the ECF, led everyone in rebounds with 209. And Haliburton? Even with the injury, he led the playoffs in assists with 197.
The "New Era" isn't coming anymore; it's already here. Look at the names: SGA, Edwards, Haliburton, Jalen Williams. These are the guys winning playoff games now. The days of penciling in LeBron or Steph for a deep run seem to be officially over.
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What This Means for Next Season
So, where do we go from here? The Thunder aren't going anywhere. They are young, they have a mountain of draft picks, and they have the best player in the world right now. They’re the hunted.
The Eastern Conference is a total mess of "what ifs." If Tatum is healthy, do the Celtics win? If Haliburton doesn't go down, do the Pacers finish the miracle? These questions will haunt those fanbases all summer. Honestly, the biggest takeaway from the 2025 postseason is that the parity we’ve been talking about for years has finally resulted in a total changing of the guard.
If you're looking to stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season, start by tracking the recovery timelines for the three major Achilles injuries we saw this year (Tatum, Haliburton, and Giannis' late-season scare). These recoveries will dictate the power structure of the East. Also, keep an eye on the Rockets and Pistons; both showed massive flashes of "leap potential" during their brief playoff cameos. The league is faster, younger, and deeper than it's ever been.
Next Steps for NBA Fans:
- Monitor the NBA Draft to see how the Nuggets and Celtics attempt to replenish their depth.
- Follow the medical updates on Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, as their availability will shift the 2026 opening night odds significantly.
- Watch the trade market for the Milwaukee Bucks, who now face a "win-now or rebuild" crossroads after another disappointing exit.