We are two months into the 2024-25 NBA season, and we are all wondering whether we will see a classic rivalry in the NBA Finals or if a surprise team can shake things up.
The Boston Celtics have had another impressive season and are still the team to beat in the East. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder has emerged as the best team in the West and is at the top of the conference standings. Regarding basketball betting tips, the real question is whether these two teams can make it to the end or if a dark horse team like the Knicks can make some noise.
The Safe NBA Finals Predictions
The Celtics returning to the NBA Finals is probably one of the safest basketball predictions today. After winning the 18th championship banner last season and going 16-3 in the playoffs, the Celtics front office decided to bring the entire team back. That proves to be the winning recipe for the Celtics, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown being one of the best duos in the league.
Kristaps Porzingis missed 25 games last season and 12 in the playoffs. The Latvian center also missed the first 17 games of this season but has since averaged 19.1 points per game. Imagine him on the floor during another Finals.
More than a decade after the Thunder made it to the NBA Finals, this year’s Oklahoma City team again has a roster that can go all the way. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting last season, and the Thunder returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
They added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason. Now, the Thunder are the best defensive team in the league, allowing only 103.3 points per game on 42.4% shooting from the field, which ranks them first in the league in both categories. Going with the Thunder to come out of the West is the correct basketball prediction.
Potential Eastern Conference Showdown: Knicks vs. Celtics
After quite some time, the New York Knicks fans have reason to be excited. They have won a playoff series in the last two seasons, more than since their last NBA Finals appearance in 1999.
When Jalen Brunson signed a $104 million deal in 2022, many Knicks fans were skeptical, but the point guard changed the culture in New York. He averages 24.6 points per game on 49% field-goal shooting, which is fantastic for a player in his position.
The Knicks made a couple of great additions, first trading for Mikal Bridges, Brunson’s former Villanova teammate, and then adding another All-Star in Karl-Anthony Towns. Head coach Tom Thibodeau now has everything he needs, and the Knicks seem like the team that can challenge the Celtics for a place in the NBA finals.
Why These Teams?
The aforementioned top one-two punch in the NBA continues to score at will. Many doubted these two could play well together since they are similar, but head coach Joe Mazzulla found a way to get the best out of both. The Celtics signed Tatum and Brown to contract extensions, each worth over $300 million, so the Celtics will be the team to beat in the East for a while longer.
Celtics GM and former coach Brad Stevens knows precisely what he is doing as he added defensively oriented guards like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, which made the Celtics go from a good team to a championship team.
That is exactly what Sam Presti is trying to do in OKC. He has SGA, averaging over 30 points per game for the third consecutive season. Chet Holmgren is developing into a real star, shooting over 50% from the field. The rest of the crew is doing a great job on the defensive end, and it will be no wonder if Luguentz Dort wins the Defensive Player of the Year Award this season.
Looking Beyond: Finals Storylines and Drama
The Celtics and Thunder will meet for the first time this season on January 5, and that may be just the introduction to what we are about to see in the 2025 NBA Finals. They have split their last four meetings, manifesting an intense battle for a seven-game series between the two franchises.
Numerous NBA fans would love to see Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander go head-to-head on the biggest basketball stage. On the way to get there, Tatum would need to lead the Celtics over the emerging Knicks team in what could be the first matchup between the Eastern Conference rivals since 2013.
Still, the playoff road is full of bumps, and dark horse teams could swoop in and ruin the top contenders’ plans.
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