Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski believes the Oklahoma City Thunder would have made quick work of the New York Knicks had they reached the 2025 NBA Finals.
Speaking on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, Podziemski made it clear he saw Indiana as a far more suitable opponent for Oklahoma City.
“I’m glad it was the Pacers not the Knicks because I feel like if it was the Knicks it would have been a sweep,” Podziemski said. “I don’t think the Knicks had enough to compete with OKC both offensively and defensively.”
He praised Indiana’s depth, contrasting their unpredictable scoring with the Knicks’ more centralized offense.
“You know there’s games where all 10 of them score in double figures,” Podziemski said about the Pacers. “So you don’t always necessarily know where the points are coming from with Indiana.”
Podziemski explained that Oklahoma City’s defensive strength is built around targeting top scoring options, something he believes would have neutralized New York.
“You look at the Timberwolves—they know the majority of the points are from Randle and Ant—and they’re really good at taking that away and forcing others to beat you,” he said.
With Indiana, Podziemski said, that formula becomes harder to apply.
“Indiana’s like, we have a pass-first point guard in Tyrese, and then a bunch of other guys—Nembhard, Tyrese [Haliburton], Benedict Mathurin, Nesmith—all guys that can get buckets at random times of the game,” he added.
The 22-year-old highlighted how even Pacers role players like Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell pose threats.
“You saw Nesmith come back against New York, just him single-handedly—and he’s a role player,” Podziemski said. “You put T.J. McConnell in, he scores his buckets.”
Podziemski also credited the Thunder’s similar scoring versatility.
“They won 68 games not by mistake,” he said. “Whether it’s Shai, J-Dub, Caruso can have 20, Isaiah Joe can have 20, [Cason] Wallace could have 20—points can come from anywhere.”
Oklahoma City earned their Finals berth by dismantling the Timberwolves in five games, including a 124-94 blowout in Game 5.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points in that clincher, while Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined for 41.
Meanwhile, Indiana eliminated New York in six games, riding Pascal Siakam’s 31-point performance and Haliburton’s 21-point, 13-assist night in Game 6.
The Pacers shot over 54 percent from the field and buried New York with a barrage of threes.
Oklahoma City hosts Indiana in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, marking the Pacers’ first Finals appearance since 2000.
