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Oklahoma wants to reign again, New York and Indiana dream of breaking the curse

The NBA Conference Finals 2025 are underway, and the atmosphere smells like history. Four teams are still standing and they all want the same thing: a ticket to the Finals. What lies ahead is not just basketball, it is a tactical, physical and emotional war to reach the final step of the season.

In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a strong start. After an agonising seven-game series against Denver, Mark Daigneault's team have started the Finals like a shot. In the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, they won with authority thanks to 31 points from an unleashed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has put himself in the starring role without question. The Canadian has been pulling the strings for months, but now he is at his most decisive. Oklahoma, with a young but very compact group, wants to get into the Finals that have eluded them since the Durant-Westbrook era.

For their part, Anthony Edwards' Wolves, who have just beaten Phoenix and given the West more than one scare during the season, are not giving up. They know this could be their big chance to break the ceiling. But of course, they face an unstoppable Shai, a Chet Holmgren who is getting heavier and heavier in the paint, and a defence that suffocates when they press. Game 1 was just the start, but the battle is promising.

In the East, the date is at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in what is expected to be a heart-stopping series. Two classic teams, hungry for glory and with a score to settle. The Knicks haven't been to the Finals since 1999, the Pacers since 2000. Too long for two franchises of such weight.

The narrative of this series is written with two names: Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Haliburton. Two point guards who are doing everything for their teams and have earned the respect of the entire league. Brunson has set New York to dream with his character, his leadership and his ability to decide hot games. Haliburton, meanwhile, is the face of Indiana's rebirth: vision, control of pace and a maturity unbefitting his age.

But beyond the stars, this series pits very different styles against each other. The Knicks are all about intensity, defence, physicality and half-court pressure. The Pacers are about speed, dynamism and open shots. Whoever can impose their rhythm will win big. And with the Garden roaring, an epoch-making atmosphere is coming.

The two Finals are wide open. Oklahoma has struck first, but Minnesota has artillery. Knicks and Pacers have not yet met, but there is already tension in the air. Whatever the outcome, what is clear is that this final stretch of the playoffs is going to give us strong emotions, historic clashes and, possibly, new legends.