Lakers legend Magic Johnson weighed in on the 2025 NBA Finals matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, calling it an “exciting” showdown featuring two of the league’s brightest stars.
In a tweet following Indiana’s closeout win over the New York Knicks, Johnson praised Tyrese Haliburton for his dominant fourth-quarter performance and recognized league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the centerpiece of Oklahoma City’s Finals run.
“This NBA Championship Series is going to be exciting to watch,” Johnson wrote. “Both teams love to run and fast break, are excellent defensive teams and are well coached!”
Haliburton finished with 21 points and 13 assists in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, leading Indiana to a 125-108 win and its first Finals berth since 2000.
He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and consistently broke down New York’s defense using the pick-and-roll.
“Haliburton dominated the New York Knicks in the Fourth Quarter with the pick-and-roll play last night! He was virtually unstoppable,” Johnson added.
The Pacers closed out the series 4-2 behind Pascal Siakam’s 31 points and a blistering second-half shooting performance that overwhelmed New York’s defense.
Indiana advances to face a Thunder team that has been dominant throughout the postseason, most recently defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
Oklahoma City took control early, outscoring the Timberwolves 26-9 in the first quarter and never looking back.
Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 34 points on 56% shooting, while Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined for 41 points and 15 rebounds.
The Thunder held Minnesota to just 41.2% from the field and forced 21 turnovers in a statement win that clinched their first Finals appearance since 2012.
Both teams rank among the NBA’s fastest-paced squads and rely on disruptive perimeter defense and ball movement to generate offense.
Oklahoma City swept the regular season series 2-0, winning both games by an average of 13.5 points.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be played Thursday night at Paycom Center, where the top-seeded Thunder hold homecourt advantage.
This marks only the second Finals appearance in Pacers franchise history, while Oklahoma City returns after a 13-year absence.
