Honestly, if you told me at the start of the year that we’d see a Game 7 in the NBA Finals between Oklahoma City and Indiana, I probably would have laughed. We all saw the Oklahoma City Thunder coming, sure. They were a juggernaut. But the Indiana Pacers? That was the curveball no one truly caught until it was nearly over. The 2025 playoffs bracket nba turned out to be one of those years where the "on paper" favorites actually had to sweat through every single round.
By the time the dust settled on June 22, 2026, the Thunder finally grabbed their second title in franchise history. It wasn't easy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to go full "supernova" mode to drag them across the finish line in a 103-91 victory in that final game. It’s wild because the Thunder had won 18 more games than the Pacers in the regular season. On paper, it was supposed to be a sweep. Instead, it was a war.
The Chaos of the 2025 Playoffs Bracket NBA
The East was a mess of high expectations and even higher falls. You had the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished with a massive 64-18 record. They looked untouchable. Donovan Mitchell was playing the best basketball of his life, and they swept the Miami Heat in the first round like it was a light practice. But then they ran into the Pacers in the semifinals.
It was a bloodbath for the favorites. Indiana didn’t just beat Cleveland; they bullied them. They took the series 4-1. The most shocking moment was Game 4, where the Pacers led by 41 points at halftime. Yes, 41. It tied a playoff record. Cleveland became the first Eastern Conference team ever to win 62+ games and fail to reach the Conference Finals.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics, the defending champs, were dealing with a hobbled Jaylen Brown. They managed to get past the Orlando Magic 4-1, but the New York Knicks were waiting. That series was historic for all the wrong reasons if you're a Celtics fan. In Game 1, Boston set a playoff record for most missed threes (45). They eventually blew back-to-back 20-point leads in Games 1 and 2—the first time that’s ever happened in NBA history. The Knicks sent them packing in six games.
The Western Conference Gauntlet
While the East was about upsets, the West was a tactical grind. The 2025 playoffs bracket nba in the West featured a lot of "old guard vs. new blood."
- OKC vs. Memphis: A 4-0 sweep for the Thunder. Memphis just didn't have the depth to keep up.
- Houston vs. Golden State: This was the vintage Steph Curry series. Even though Houston was the higher seed (52-30), the Warriors took them down in seven games.
- Lakers vs. Timberwolves: LeBron and Luka (who was a Laker by this point in our 2025 timeline) couldn't stop Anthony Edwards. The Wolves took it 4-1.
- Denver vs. Clippers: A classic seven-game slugfest. Nikola Jokic did everything, and the Nuggets survived, but they were exhausted by the time they hit the next round.
The Western Conference Semifinals gave us the matchup everyone wanted: OKC vs. Denver. Shai vs. Jokic. It went seven games. In Game 2, the Thunder scored 87 points in the first half. That’s a playoff record. Denver fought back, but OKC’s youth and the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein’s interior presence eventually wore the Nuggets down.
Why the Pacers Were the Ultimate Bracket Buster
Nobody expected Indiana to be the last team standing in the East. They entered as the 4th seed. They had to deal with a Milwaukee Bucks team that was missing Damian Lillard for parts of the first round. Tyrese Haliburton, who had been "just okay" for the first half of the season, turned into a top-10 player the moment the playoffs started.
By the time they reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, the Pacers were a well-oiled machine. They won that series 4-2, including a 138-135 overtime thriller in Game 1. They led the league in playoff assists, mostly because Haliburton was finding guys like Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam in spots where they couldn't miss.
The Finals: Thunder vs. Pacers
This series was a chess match between Mark Daigneault and Rick Carlisle. The Pacers actually took Game 1 in OKC, 111-110. It was the first time all season the Thunder looked vulnerable at home.
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The series see-sawed all the way to Game 7.
- Game 1: Pacers steal it by one point.
- Game 2: Thunder respond with a 16-point blowout.
- Game 3: Back in Indy, the Pacers win 116-107.
- Game 4: OKC ties it up behind 35 from SGA.
- Game 5: OKC wins a close one at home.
- Game 6: Pacers blow them out to force Game 7.
In the end, depth won out. The Thunder had too many weapons. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the playoffs with 688 total points and took home the Finals MVP. He averaged 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists for the series.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're looking at the 2025 playoffs bracket nba to predict what happens next year, keep these things in mind. First, regular-season wins are becoming less of a predictor for playoff success in the East. The Cavaliers and Celtics both hit 60+ wins and neither made the Finals. The "rest vs. rust" debate is dead; it’s all about health and mid-season trades.
Second, the "Big Three" era is officially over. Both the Thunder and Pacers succeeded because they had 8 or 9 guys who could play 20 minutes of high-intensity basketball. Teams like the Suns and Clippers, who are top-heavy, struggled to survive seven-game series against younger, deeper rotations.
Finally, watch the Detroit Pistons. They made the playoffs as a 6th seed and pushed the Knicks to six games. With Cade Cunningham entering his prime and a top-tier defense, they are the "2025 Pacers" of 2026. If you're building a bracket for next season, don't sleep on the middle seeds. The gap between the 1st and 6th seed has never been smaller.
Check the current 2026 standings and injury reports before placing any future bets, as the landscape shifts every time a star player misses a week of action.