The 2025 NBA Finals are set to kick off with Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers taking place tonight. The Thunder are the overwhelming favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy and many expect them to do so in relatively quick fashion. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, however, is not one of them.
Johnson took to social media to give his thoughts on the series, which he believes will be a closer one than people think:
The Pacers vs. OKC Series will be a lot closer than people think! It’ll be a truly exciting series because both the Pacers and the Thunder average well over 100 points per game (ppg) ranking 2nd and 3rd for ppg in the NBA respectively while still being two of the best defensive…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 3, 2025
The Pacers are certainly a more than capable team who could give the Thunder a lot of trouble in this series. Magic putting the Pacers in the Thunder’s world defensively, however, is selling Oklahoma City way short as they have been putting forth a historically good defensive effort not seen in the NBA in decades.
Johnson also discussed the point guard matchup between Thunder superstar and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton:
You have the NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and in my opinion, the MVP throughout the entire Western Conference Playoffs on one side. On the other side we have – Tyrese Haliburton, who in my opinion, was Eastern Conference MVP throughout the entire Playoffs. This will be an…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 3, 2025
The two are undoubtedly the leaders of their respective teams and how each of them performs will set the tone, even though they play completely different styles. Ahead of Game 1 on Thursday night, Johnson gave a warning to the Thunder about taking the Pacers lightly at home as they have been road warriors throughout these playoffs:
The Oklahoma City Thunder should be worried about Indiana because the Pacers have been a great road team in this year’s Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs they beat the Bucks in Milwaukee once at home in the first round, the #1 seeded Cavaliers three times in Cleveland in the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 4, 2025
This is an interesting point as the Pacers have proven themselves capable time and time again of winning in hostile environments. But the Thunder have also been dominant at home, going 8-1 with those wins coming by an average of nearly 28 points.
There might be some who are down on this NBA Finals, but Magic is not one of them and the Lakers legend brought up some good reasons as to why this series could be a great one.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson apologizes for underestimating Thunder
Even though Magic Johnson is warning the Thunder to not take the Pacers lightly, he recently had to apologize himself for not believing in Oklahoma City coming into these playoffs.
The Lakers legend apologized to the Thunder on social media for underestimating them and not believing they were ready to compete for an NBA Championship while also giving credit to general manager Sam Presti on the job he did building that roster.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
