Knicks Are Getting SWEPT? Shai Crowned MVP?

Joel Piton
May 20
4 min read

Round 3 is officially set. After a chaotic second round full of upsets, injuries, and unpredictability even a fortuneteller couldn’t call, the stage is set for two high-stakes matchups. In the East, it’s the Indiana Pacers vs. the New York Knicks. In the West, it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. The winners? Headed to the NBA Finals. Here's how it all stacks up.

No one saw this coming. The 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers, who opened the season with a blistering 15-0 start—becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to do so—were dismantled in five games by the Indiana Pacers. It wasn’t close. Injuries can't be blamed either; if anything, it was Indiana dealing with setbacks to their frontcourt bench. The Cavs were mostly healthy, yet looked disjointed on both ends. Donovan Mitchell poured in 34 points per game, but it wasn’t enough to offset the Cavaliers’ defensive breakdowns and offensive stagnation. Darius Garland’s lingering foot injury didn’t help, and Cleveland had no answer for Tyrese Haliburton, who orchestrated the floor with poise and precision. Even with the interior presence of Mobley and Allen, the Pacers exposed gaps in their defense. It was a true team effort from Indiana: relentless ball movement, confident shooting, and an energy that made their 4-1 series win feel even more dominant than the box score suggests.

Now it's onto the Eastern Conference Finals. On paper, Indiana looks poised to roll past New York—and plenty of fans are already penciling them in for the Finals. But this matchup may be tighter than expected. As a Celtics fan, I’ll admit it stings to watch this from the sidelines. Even when Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis were on the floor, we struggled to contain the Knicks' squad. And now, with Tatum facing a potential 18-month recovery, Celtics Nation is left wondering what could’ve been if we had stayed the course. Still, the show must go on—and the Knicks are here to prove they belong. Back in the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, New York won’t go down without a fight. But someone will need to rise to the occasion if they’re going to keep up with a Pacers team firing on all cylinders. Indiana has few, if any, exploitable weaknesses.

Myles Turner is capable of dropping 20 on any given night, and Haliburton is a willing and masterful facilitator. Pascal Siakam continues to be a rock on both ends, averaging over 20 points per game, while Nesmith and Mathurin are knocking on the door of 40% from beyond the arc. This team is complete—and they’re playing like it. That said, this isn’t the same Knicks squad from the regular season. They’re hungry. They’re aggressive. And they’re coming straight for the jugular. It’s going to be a battle—but if we’re making picks? I'm taking Indiana.

Over in the West, another 4-1 outcome told a very different story. The Timberwolves took care of the Golden State Warriors in just five games—but even as a loyal Celtics fan, I found little joy in watching it unfold. With Stephen Curry sidelined for most of the series, the outcome felt inevitable. And in the one game he did play, the Warriors pulled out the win. What followed was tough to watch: a 37-year-old Hall of Famer confined to the bench as his team crumbled against a fully healthy, high-energy Timberwolves squad led by Anthony Edwards. Still, what’s next promises to be must-see basketball.

The MVP clash is in the rearview, but it left us with an instant classic. In a gripping seven-game showdown, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious over Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets—a series fans won’t forget, no matter which team they root for. Both squads left everything on the floor, but a lack of coaching adjustments in Denver and the energy of a Game 7 crowd in Oklahoma ultimately swung things in the Thunder’s favor.

Now, OKC finds itself in the Conference Finals for the first time since 2016. There are no remnants of that Durant-Westbrook era on the roster or on the coaching staff, but the vibes are back. This new-look Thunder squad is built differently, and they’re dangerous. With 68 wins and the second-best net rating in NBA history (12.8), this team is no fluke. On the other side, the Timberwolves may have finished just sixth in the West, but they’re playing with something to prove—and they’ve got the pieces to push OKC to the edge. Expect a war. Elite scorer Ant-Man versus elite scorer Shai. This series will be a back-and-forth slugfest between two teams who mirror each other in pace, toughness, and hunger. But if we’re making a call? I’ve got OKC in 7. It’s their series to lose.

Both series are shaping up to be thrillers—down to the bone. Whether it’s the Pacers looking to make history and win their first NBA title or the hungry Thunder chasing their first Finals appearance in nearly a decade, fans are in for a wild ride. The matchups are electric, the stakes are sky-high, and the storylines practically wrote themselves this post-season.