Why the 2025 NBA Playoffs are the most exciting in years

After an entertaining and exhilarating postseason, the Finals will come down to a game 7 for the first time in nine years. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to win their first championship in Oklahoma City, as their last championship occurred in 1979 when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics. Meanwhile a win by the Indiana Pacers would be their first NBA championship in franchise history. In a postseason that has felt like years instead of two months, there has been some terrific basketball. Although TV ratings are up and down, the truth is that this year’s playoffs has had nearly everything from chaos to performances that will be talked about for years.

As far as great individual games go, this was a postseason full of them. There were guys who put up performances which could be described as both possessed and unstoppable.  Just look at the Finals matchup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is trying to become only the fourth player in NBA history to win a scoring title, league MVP, and Finals MVP in the same year. He’s the catalyst of the second youngest team to ever play in an NBA Finals.

​Meanwhile, the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton has established himself as one of the most clutch performers with a number of jaw dropping shots (including the game-tying one against my Knicks). Four times this playoffs, he has either tied or won the game within the final two seconds, as every one of his clutch shots have been crazier than the previous one. 

Elsewhere throughout these playoffs, Jalen Brunson continued to rise above the ranks as one of the most iconic New York sports athletes in the 21st century. Brunson lived up to the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award with huge shots throughout the playoffs en route to New York’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. Despite standing 6’1, Brunson’s ability to get any shot he wanted was on full display, as he sent all of New York City into a basketball frenzy. 

Out west, Nikola Jokić put up some herculean numbers for a Nuggets’ team that clawed their way to a game within the Western Conference Finals. Despite already having an NBA championship and three MVPs, he still left fans in awe with his uncanny shooting touch and skillful passing. He made the impossible look easy, whether it was a 36 point, 21 rebound, eight assist game to stave off a 3-1 deficit against the Clippers, or 42 and 22 in the opening game of the Thunder series. 

Another component that puts this year’s playoffs above previous ones is how unpredictable it has been. Almost no lead is safe until the final buzzer and there were many teams who advanced further than expected. Crazy shots have also been rampant whether it was Jalen Brunson’s series clinching three against the Pistons, Aaron Gordon’s miracle putback dunk against the Clippers, or Tyrese Haliburton kicking off the Finals with a game winner. 

Of the teams who made this playoffs unpredictable, none have surprised more than the Knicks and Pacers. Not only did they have deep runs, but it was the way they went about it that was crazy. The Knicks managed to have three 20 point comebacks which is the most since play-by-play began. If that isn’t impressive enough, all of those comebacks occurred in road games with two of them coming against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Indiana has made similar magic with five comebacks trailing by 15 points or more. The resilience from both teams was what ultimately shaped the Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Many thought the Cavaliers and Celtics would face off but the performances from the Knicks and Pacers are exactly why you play the games. 

The Timberwolves are another team who overachieved in the playoffs even if they didn’t produce
cardiac wins like the New York and Indiana. A streaky regular season lowered once high expectations, but the postseason was a different story. Their duo of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle co-existed exactly how the front office envisioned when they traded longtime cornerstone Karl Anthony-Towns for Randle before training camp. The reward was consecutive conference finals appearances for the first time in their history. 

As a whole, all of the performances and surprises have ultimately led to some incredibly competitive playoff series from the beginning to now. This year’s playoffs have produced every type of series a fan could ask for whether it’s exciting finishes, physical play, or star players squaring off against one another. If you want a series where almost every game is close, then the Knicks Pistons first round matchup would stand out, as the Knicks outscored the Pistons by eight points the whole series. 

The Warriors Rockets series was perfect for any fan who likes watching physical play from both teams. For seven games, it looked more like a football game than a playoff series with the experienced Warriors ultimately prevailing. It was truly a throwback to some of the gritty series played in the 1990s.  

Fans who love starpower got to see the two MVP candidates in SGA and Jokić face off against one another. In the most thrilling matchup of the semifinals, each player took turns stuffing the stat sheet in a tight seven game series. While the voting for awards had already concluded, each player could’ve made a legitimate case off that series alone. 

​It is unfortunate that the ratings have been mixed for the most part. These playoffs are what basketball looks like at its best with the amazing performances and tight games. It has undoubtedly been the most entertaining postseason in years which is saying a lot. Hopefully ratings will increase this Sunday, but as far as putting out the best product, the NBA deserves a pat-on-the-back.