Poll: Who Will Win Eastern Conference Finals?
A year after falling to Indiana in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks will get another shot at them in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Star guard Jalen Brunson is looking forward to the opportunity to take advantage of the second chance.
“I mean, it still kind of bothers me,” Brunson said on Monday, referring to last year’s series, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “Obviously it was a missed opportunity last year playing them at home in Game 7, regardless of who we had out there.”
The version of the Knicks that finished last season looked far different from the group that will take the court on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Finals. The 2023/24 roster didn’t feature Karl-Anthony Towns or Mikal Bridges, the club’s two major 2024 offseason additions. Plus, as Brunson alludes to, last year’s team was incredibly banged up, with key players like Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson unavailable for that do-or-die Game 7 and OG Anunoby unable to play more than five minutes.
This time around, the Knicks are fully healthy and are riding high after a strong first-round showing against the upstart Pistons and an unlikely second-round upset of the defending champion Celtics.
Just about everyone had penciled in an Eastern Finals showdown between the 64-win Cavaliers and 61-win Celtics, but New York and Indiana played spoiler and now the Knicks will enter their third-round series holding home court advantage and as betting favorites. BetOnline.ag lists New York as a -160 favorite to advance to the NBA Finals.
Knicks fans have plenty of reasons for optimism. After all, last year’s battle between these two teams nearly went their way even without Randle’s scoring, without Robinson’s elite rebounding, and without Towns and Bridges, who have been two of New York’s most valuable contributors in this postseason. The front office’s vision – Brunson and Towns serving as offensive engines while Bridges, Anunoby, and Josh Hart terrorize opponents on defense – has come together perfectly in recent weeks.
These Pacers, conversely, look pretty similar to last year’s team. In fact, with the exception of Bennedict Mathurin (injured for the 2024 playoffs) replacing Isaiah Jackson (injured for the 2025 playoffs), the Pacers have the exact same top nine players in minutes played that they did last postseason.
Skeptics would also point out that Indiana has benefited in a major way from injury luck over the past two springs. Bucks point guard Damian Lillard went down with an Achilles tear in the first round of this year’s postseason, while several Cavaliers – including Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter – were battling health problems in the second round.
But underestimating this Pacers team would be a mistake. Indiana was doing just fine against healthy versions of Milwaukee and Cleveland before those injuries occurred and has a better overall net rating (+5.5) during these playoffs than that of the Knicks (+0.1). The Pacers are especially dangerous when they’re dictating the speed of the game, which they’ll be looking to do against a Knicks squad that ranked 26th in the NBA in pace during the regular season (Indiana was seventh).
The Pacers have also been getting a balanced offensive attack from their starting lineup and bench this spring. All five starters are averaging at least 14.6 points per game, led by Pascal Siakam (18.8 PPG) and Tyrese Haliburton (17.5 PPG and a playoff-leading 9.3 APG), with Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, and Obi Toppin combining for 28 points per contest off the bench. Indiana’s 117.3 playoff offensive rating is easily the best mark of any of the four remaining teams.
The last time the Knicks appeared in the NBA Finals in 1999, they defeated the Pacers in the Eastern Finals to get there. The Pacers returned the favor a year later, beating the Knicks in the Eastern Finals to represent the conference in the NBA Finals. They haven’t gotten back since. Whichever team wins this series and makes their first Finals appearance in a quarter-century will have to get past an old rival to do it.
We want to know what you think. Which team will win the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!
Who will win the Eastern Conference Finals?
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New York Knicks 50% (607)
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Indiana Pacers 50% (596)
Total votes: 1,203
Treysen Eaglestaff Withdraws From NBA Draft
After testing the NBA draft waters, Treysen Eaglestaff will remove his name from the 2025 pool and return to college for his senior season, agent George S. Landberg tells Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link).
Eaglestaff was a long shot to be drafted, having not earned a spot on ESPN’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects, so his decision to withdraw doesn’t come as a major surprise. He has committed to transfer to West Virginia after spending his first three college seasons at North Dakota.
[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
The 6’6″ shooting guard had a strong season as a scorer for the Fighting Hawks in 2024/25, averaging 18.9 points per game on 416/.359/.794 shooting in 33 outings. He earned a spot on the All-Summit League second team.
Eaglestaff’s scoring average was buoyed by some massive performances, including a 51-point outburst in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament against South Dakota State. He also put up 40 points in a loss to Alabama on December 18, knocking down a career-high eight three-pointers in each of those games.
Barring an unexpected development next season, Eaglestaff will be automatically eligible for the 2026 NBA draft.
NBA Announces 2024/25 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top two picks in the 2024 draft, a pair of Grizzlies, and this season’s Rookie of the Year, while the Second Team is heavy on centers.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
Stephon Castle, Spurs (200 points)- Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks (199)
- Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies (195)
- Zach Edey, Grizzlies (173)
- Alex Sarr, Wizards (150)
Second Team
- Kel’el Ware, Heat (138)
- Matas Buzelis, Bulls (97)
- Yves Missi, Pelicans (90)
- Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers (73)
- Bub Carrington, Wizards (53)
There are no real surprises on the First Team. Castle was the recipient of this season’s Rookie of the Year and was also the only player to be unanimously selected to the First Team, but fellow Rookie of the Year finalists Risacher and Wells weren’t far behind him. Edey and Sarr played significant roles for their respective teams and also finished in the top five in Rookie of the Year voting.
Among the members of the Second Team, Ware and Buzelis finished sixth and seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, while Missi, Clingan, and Carrington became starters for their respective teams in their first NBA seasons.
Carrington just narrowly edged out Jazz guard Isaiah Collier, who received one First Team vote and 50 Second Team votes for a total of 52 points. Carrington technically showed up on fewer overall ballots, but gained the slight edge because he was selected to the First Team by three voters (he was named to the Second Team by 47).
A total of 23 players showed up on at least one voter’s ballot, with Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Pistons forward Ron Holland, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, and Suns wing Ryan Dunn rounding out the top 15 vote-getters — they, along with Collier, would’ve made up a hypothetical All-Rookie Third Team if the league recognized 15 players like it does for All-NBA.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Risacher, Edey, Ware, Buzelis, and Clingan each would have been ineligible for consideration if that rule applied to All-Rookie voting.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hachimura, Suns, Clippers
The Lakers already made their big move of the year by trading for Luka Doncic mid-season. Now, after a five-game playoff run that ended with a loss to the Timberwolves, the team has to figure out how to build the team around him, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link).
The critical pieces this summer will be the player options for LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith. James is reportedly not expected to take a discount deal in what will likely be his last contract, and while he’s expected to return to Los Angeles, it’s not a certainty.
The Lakers could use a mid-range deal like Gabe Vincent‘s $11.5MM or Maxi Kleber‘s $11MM, along with Shake Milton‘s non-guaranteed deal, to bring in a starting big man, but with only one tradable first-round pick available, the return will likely be modest unless the team is willing to include a young player like Dalton Knecht, Gozlan notes.
Finney-Smith has a $15.4MM player option. He is extension-eligible and serves a valuable role as the Lakers’ best wing defender. Austin Reaves is also extension-eligible, but the limitations on what L.A. can offer him make it unlikely a deal gets signed. Finally, Doncic himself will be able to sign an extension on August 2 worth up to a maximum of $229MM over four years.
We have more from around the Pacific division:
- Rui Hachimura was named a Lakers starter by new head coach J.J. Redick in the fall and he repaid that trust with a strong, well-rounded season, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. His shooting, rebounding, and defense were crucial for a team without much depth on the wing. However, with one year and $18.3MM left on his contract, if an extension isn’t reached this summer, Hachimura’s name will likely come up in trade talks as the Lakers look to build a future-facing roster around Doncic.
- The second round of interviews for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy will begin this week, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix (via Twitter). Phoenix has reportedly narrowed its search down to nine candidates: Sean Sweeney, Micah Nori, Steve Hetzel, Dave Bliss, James Borrego, David Fizdale, Johnnie Bryant, Jordan Ott, and Chris Quinn. The names are interesting for such a veteran team, as only Borrego and Fizdale have previous NBA head coaching experience. The Suns hope the new coach can help build a program from scratch while aligning with owner Mat Ishbia.
- The Suns are facing another lawsuit, the fourth in seven months from a current or former member of the organization, writes ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. The suit, filed on behalf of Gene Traylor, the team’s director of safety, security, and risk management, alleges discrimination, harassment, and retaliation following a presentation by Traylor of risks to the team’s reputation or security. It also alleges that the team discouraged him from taking leave after a cancer diagnosis. “Ms. [Sheree] Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns,” a Suns spokesperson responded to ESPN. Traylor’s team, in response, has claimed that the Suns are trying to publicly discredit Wright, who is on Traylor’s legal team, in an effort to shift focus from their own culpability.
- The Clippers will enter the summer with 13 players under contract, Gozlan writes in his offseason preview (Substack link). Much of the offseason revolves around the player options of James Harden and Nicolas Batum, who has stated that next year will likely be his last season. After a very successful regular season, Harden is expected to decline his option and look for a pay bump, and Gozlan suggests aligning his contract with Kawhi Leonard‘s on a two-year deal could make the most sense for both sides. The Clippers can sign Harden for up to four years, but in that case it’s likely the last two years would be at least partially non-guaranteed, Gozlan writes. The Clippers will also have access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level, with which they could add another veteran. The team could also try to sell high on Norman Powell, who is coming off a career year and is extension-eligible.
Darrion Williams Withdraws From Draft
Darrion Williams has withdrawn from the 2025 NBA draft, reports CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein (via Twitter).
The 22-year-old wing, who spent the past two seasons at Texas Tech following a freshman year at Nevada, is currently in the transfer portal for his senior season. NC State and Kansas believed to be among the leaders to land him, according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (via Twitter).
The versatile forward averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game this past season and is a career 37.9% three-point shooter.
Williams was ranked the No. 46 prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a decent candidate to be drafted. However, he struggled during combine scrimmages last week, scoring just two points in 45 combined minutes over the two days of gameplay, though he did average 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Williams also measured in at 6’4.5″ barefoot with a 6’6″ wingspan, putting him on the smaller end for NBA wings. Facing a likelihood of being selected in the second round or going undrafted, Williams made an early decision, as the withdrawal date for early entrant prospects who want to retain NCAA eligibility is May 28. He’ll likely earn more on the NIL market this year while continuing to build his draft stock for next summer.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 5/20/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Pistons should consider a major offseason move, Devin Booker trade possibilities, a potential roster overhaul in Chicago, what the Bucks should say to Giannis Antetokounmpo and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Finch, Thunder, Wolves
There’s a chance that Game 7’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the last game together for the Nuggets‘ core four of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr., writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. The quartet, which has played together since the Gordon was acquired via trade in 2022, is looking at a financial reality that might prove too onerous for ownership to bear, especially with the team unable to get past the second round since winning the title in 2023.
Asked after Game 7 whether the Nuggets could win a championship as currently constructed, Jokic said, “If we could, we will win it. So I don’t believe in the ‘if, if’ stuff. We had opportunity. We didn’t win it. So I think we can’t.”
The loss comes after the abrupt termination of general manager Calvin Booth and longtime head coach Michael Malone, both of whom were crucial architects of the championship identity, just weeks before the playoffs began. Interim head coach David Adelman ended up coaching nearly as many Game 7s as he did regular season games.
Murray and Gordon both have extensions about to kick in. Murray’s four-year deal is worth nearly $208MM, while Gordon’s is a three-year $109MM extension after he exercised his $22.84MM player option in the 2025/26 season.
While both are trade-eligible, they have been crucial pieces of the Nuggets’ success, with Murray providing scoring and play-making while Gordon has consistently been a big-shot maker and elite defender who has displayed a seamless connection with Jokic as a cutter and screener. That may leave Porter as the best chance the team has to address some of its roster holes while it still can, especially with Christian Braun‘s extension eligibility looming.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Whatever decisions the Nuggets are forced to make due to finances and a lack of repeated Finals runs will be made more difficult by the bonds that have developed over the years. One such relationship is between Porter and Gordon, who have become close friends and support pillars for each other, Marc J. Spears writes for Andscape. Gordon played this season after losing his older brother, Drew, and Porter was someone he could lean on in times of hardship. Gordon and Porter both fought through injuries that limited them in their series against the Thunder, to the point that Porter wondered if he made things worse by being out there. “I probably should’ve just let it heal for a few games and then try to come back,” he said. “That is just not the person I am.”
- Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch‘s journey to back-to-back conference finals appearances began with a rejection from a Pennsylvania high school coaching gig, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. At the time, he was coaching basketball in England and desperate for a way home. That journey led him to the Rockets’ G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, which eventually led him to Minnesota, where, for the second time in three seasons, Finch had to figure out how to construct an identity around a team with a new All-Star. The results were tumultuous to start the season, with the team booed for a lackluster start amid discourse about whether newly-acquired star Julius Randle should be benched for Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, but Finch eventually found the right buttons to push for to his new-look team. “The validation I feel is for what we’re doing overall as a program,” he said.
- Randle and Gobert struggled to find their footing early on together, but in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, the Timberwolves veterans showcased why they are such dangerous players and silenced criticism about their playoff histories, writes Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. “You’ve gotten a lot of disrespect your whole career,” Gobert said to Randle. “And so have I.” Finch, who was an assistant coach in New Orleans for Randle’s breakout year, says that finding the balance of Randle’s responsibilities was key to unlocking the team: “We, at different times of the season, gave him the message, ‘Hey we need you to score more. Hey, we need you to pass more.’ And sometimes it was the wrong message… So that was a lot of our early season growth with him.“
- The Thunder have some fascinating lineup choices to consider as they enter Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Wolves, says SI’s Rylan Stiles. After having gotten past Jokic, the team is likely to be less reliant on the two-big lineups featuring Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein against the athletic Randle and a more traditional center in Rudy Gobert. That, in turn, would allow the Thunder to bring more of their defensive-minded guards or wings into the lineup to try their hand at slowing down Anthony Edwards.
Hornets’ Charles Lee ‘Excited’ About Offseason
Charles Lee‘s first year as the Hornets‘ head coach didn’t play out as he hoped. The team extended its NBA-leading playoff drought to nine consecutive seasons and posted its worst record (19-63) since going 7-59 as the Bobcats in 2011/12. However, Lee tells Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer that he remains confident in a brighter future in Charlotte.
“I’m excited about our offseason,” Lee said. “We have clarity with our (lottery) pick. I think that our team is in a much better spot this year than we were last year. There’s also clarity with who the coach is and what’s expected of you in the offseason. So, I think that we’ve laid out a great schedule for our guys to just continue to get better. We’ve created a great environment for these guys to be able to come in and work, and be around each other, our staff, and just to try to build some more winning habits.”
A report in March indicated that rival teams believe it could be an active offseason for the Hornets, and I noted in my offseason preview on Monday that there likely won’t be many players on the roster who are totally off the table in trade conversations.
Veteran forward Miles Bridges, who was said to be a trade candidate prior to February’s deadline, is one player whose name could resurface in rumors this summer. However, he plans on sticking around the Charlotte area more than he typically would and organizing voluntary workouts for teammates, Boone writes.
“I love that Miles wants to spearhead that,” Lee said. “I think a big part of any type of culture or organization is your best players kind of driving things forward. And him being the leader and wanting to make sure he puts all the guys together in order to work and in order to grow and to learn from one another, I think it’s really important. And he’s kind of set a tone from last year and he wants to continue that ball rolling forward in terms of what work ethic looks like, what professional habits looks like.”
A pair of Hornets point guards, LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, will also be worth watching closely this offseason. Both players are coming off season-ending injuries – ankle and wrist surgeries for Ball and a back issue for Mann – and Ball has been the subject of trade speculation, while Mann is eligible for restricted free agency.
Lee spoke to Boone as if he expected Ball to be back in Charlotte and said the star guard’s recovery is progressing well. He also said that Mann is making “really good progress” as he makes his way back from his back injury and spoke enthusiastically about the idea of the club re-signing the four-year veteran.
“Tre, he’s a phenomenal player, even better teammate and person,” Lee told The Observer. “And so when you don’t have a guy who can fill it up on the board, can guard, who’s competitive, can make life easier for Melo, and Miles, and Brandon (Miller), and Mark (Williams) or whoever is out there on the court, he’s just such a great talent. So, to miss him to out there and his skill set was definitely unfortunate.
“But also, to just have him around on the court, vocally or at practice or teaching guys — because he does have such a high basketball IQ. But, yeah, I think he brings so much value. It’ll be nice to have him back in the mix hopefully next year.”
Draft Notes: Celtics, Flagg, NBA Comparables, McGlockton
When he reported last week that the Celtics interviewed projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and probable top-10 pick Tre Johnson at the draft combine in Chicago, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link) cautioned not to read too much into it.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed as much at his end-of-season media session on Monday, explaining that those meetings don’t mean the team is thinking about trying to acquire a top draft pick, as Khari A. Thompson of Boston.com relays.
“We can rank who we want to talk to and the people we know we can’t get in to work out is how we decide who we want to talk to at the combine,” Stevens said. “Otherwise, we may never get to talk to them again. So, the only people that will come in and work out for us are the people in our range or maybe they’re at the bottom end of our range or whatever the case may be.
“… Will there be fireworks on draft night? I can’t imagine, but again, who knows? I wouldn’t guess with us, no.”
As O’Connor notes, teams are permitted a limited number of interviews with prospects at the combine, so Stevens and the Celtics determined it didn’t make sense to use that opportunity to talk to prospects who will likely be willing to visit Boston in the coming weeks anyway. The Celtics hold the 28th and 32nd overall picks in this year’s draft.
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Which NBA players do some of this year’s top prospects model their games after? Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic passes along answers from 13 draft-eligible players, including Rutgers’ Dylan Harper comparing himself to “big guards like Cade Cunningham, James Harden, and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander)” and UConn’s Liam McNeeley likening his game to that of Gordon Hayward.
- Using player measurement data from this year’s combine, including height, standing reach, wingspan, and more, Frank Urbina and Alberto de Roa of HoopsHype take a look at which current and former NBA players are the best points of comparison for this year’s top prospects.
- After testing the draft waters this spring, junior Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton plans to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior year, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. McGlockton, who wasn’t on ESPN’s list of 2025’s top 100 prospects, averaged 10.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game on .568/.338/.667 shooting for the Commodores in 2024/25.
- NCAA early entrants in this year’s draft pool have until next Wednesday to decide whether or not to withdraw. While the NBA’s withdrawal deadline is June 15, college players who withdraw between May 29 and June 15 would forfeit their remaining NCAA eligibility. The full list of draft-related dates and deadlines for 2025 can be found here.
Thunder Notes: SGA, Williams, Caruso, Conference Finals
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the favorite to win this season’s MVP award, admitted that his stomach was churning prior to the Game 7 showdown with the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon. He sure didn’t play scared, pouring in 35 points as the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference Finals.
“I was nervous, to be honest,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “Just knowing what was on the line. …To know if you don’t bring your A-game, it could all be over. But I think that nervousness motivated me.”
The Thunder in general showed some nerves in the early going but took control late in the first half.
“I think the nerves were natural,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We actually shot horribly to start the game. But I knew we were getting really good looks, and if we just stuck with it, we would loosen up and the ball would find the basket. I never was worried about this, the way we started. Once I felt the flow of the game and we had the right intentions and the right energy, I knew it would turn around.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- First-time All-Star Jalen Williams scored 17 of his 24 points in the pivotal second quarter and added seven assists, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes. Williams bounced back from a Game 6 dud in which he shot 3-for-16 from the field. “Great force, especially early,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It was definitely a conscious effort by him to use his speed and his power. He was on the gas from the jump (Sunday).”
- Williams was fined $25K by the league for wearing clothing with profane language in his post-game media session on Sunday, NBA Communications tweets.
- Daigneault used Alex Caruso as the primary defender on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on Sunday, though Caruso got plenty of help from his teammates. Caruso gave up six inches in height and 100 pounds. The unconventional strategy worked as Jokic only took nine shots and committed five turnovers. “It’s a lot of hard work, obviously,” Caruso told Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “But he’s a difficult matchup because he does so many different things to get others involved and influence the game. Being relentless with my energy, the effort to make it tough on him. The guys around me did a good job of helping and swarming, because I’m not doing that on my own. Understanding the flow of the game, where you could be physical and where you can’t.”
- Next up for the Thunder — the Timberwolves, who are making their second straight appearances in the conference finals. The subplot between the teams is the matchup of star guards SGA and Anthony Edwards. “My gut says OKC wins the series,” one scout told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “Their defensive coverages and schemes are so good. (They’re) closing up the paint and rotating out of scheme, then they have the best scorer in the game who has proven to come through when they need it.”
- Daigneault believes the team has earned everything it has achieved. “We’re not perfect, but they’re just so easy to bet on. They’re great competitors, “ he said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “They do things the right way, they’re professional, they’re inside the team. Everybody sacrifices for the team. Not everybody always gets what they deserve, but this team deserves these types of opportunities.”