2025 NBA playoffs: Finale of the East and West Conference to take away

The final of the NBA conference 2025 has specified, and four teams are fighting for a place in the final.

The No. 1 Seed Oklahoma City Thunder, after a hard series with seven games against the Denver Nuggets, started the final of the Western Conference on Tuesday evening. They defeated Anthony Edwards and the visit No. 6 Saatgut Minnesota Timberwolves in game 1 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 31 points.

In the east, the No. 3 seed New York Knicks will compete against No. 4 Indiana Pacers in Madison Square Garden with two superstars in Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson on Wednesday. The Knicks and Pacers will try to achieve their first final since 1999 and 2000.

While these elite teams compete against each other, our NBA insiders break their biggest snack bars from every Matchup and what can be seen in both conference showdowns.

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Western Conference

Game 1:Donner 114, Timberwolves 88

The biggest snack bar for thunder:The defense of Oklahoma City bought the thunder a half before her goal scorers settled into a rhythm. The thunder only hit four points at halftime, although the all-star duo Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams only shoot 4-of-21. Then this tandem took control of the Timberwolves in the third quarter and contracted 21 to achieve 21 to enable Oklahoma City to take on a two -digit lead. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Chet Holmgren scored nine of his 15 points in a flood to keep Minnesota at a comfortable distance. The thunder defense, the first -class unit of the league, remained relentless throughout the game. Oklahoma City kept Minnesota out of the ground at 34.9% and forced 19 sales that the thunder was converted into 31 points. – Tim Macmahon

The biggest snack bar for the Timberwolves:If they had told the Timberwolves that they would control the first half and let Gilgeous-Alexander miss almost twice as many shots (17) (17), they would have liked their chances in the first game of the West Conference before Tuesday before Tuesday. There was a problem: how effective her defense was was her crime equally incapable. If you take 28 points away from Julius Randles at 9-against-13 shooting, Minnesota has only gathered 60 points at 20-on-70 shooting (28.6%).

After the construction of a 48-44 lead through the first two quarters, it was hardly a game after half-time. The wolves led 60-56 with 7:22 in the third, and the thunder replied with a 17-2 run to open a double-digit pillow in the fourth. The support of Minnesota was particularly lacking, since Naz Reid, Donte Divincenzo and Nickeil Alexander Walker only shoot 7-against-36 (5-to-28 out of 3). Minnesotas 23-year-old superstar Anthony Edwards optimized his left ankle in the first half and ended with 18 points in the 5:13 shoot. The wolves have a lot of work to do for game 2, or they will stare at a 0: 2 deficit on their way home for game 3. – Dave McMenamin

Game 2: Timberwolves at Thunder (Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

What can be seen:Whether Minnesota can find a way to score in color. The Timberwolves only managed 20 paint points and gangs in this year's playoffs very few of every team. Minnesota had an average of 51.6 points in the color and scored 72 out of 72 points when he closes the Golden State Warriors in game 5 last Wednesday – a playoff high For every team.

Remarkably, Oklahoma City took off while he was downsized. Thunder coach Mark Daignauch played his double-big front court by starter Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren for less than eight minutes together-far less than the 14.2, which they averaged in the playoffs, by means of NBA. And after using Jaylin Williamsto, Nikola Jokic defended in the conference semi -final, Daigneult went to the smaller Kenrich Williamsas A Backup Center.

What Oklahoma City was missing, the thunder had to have made up with a swarming defense and packed the color. Oklahoma City dared to make the Timberwolves 3S, similar to the Nuggets the thunder in the last round. After Minnesota shot 5 out of 11 from the city center in the opening district, the Timberwolves went the rest of the path 10: 40 (25%).