2 min read • May 19, 2025
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The NBA Conference Finals are set as we have the Indiana Pacers taking on the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference and out west, the young Minnesota Timberwolves will face the even younger Oklahoma City Thunder. They represent 3 of the healthier teams going into the playoffs as many teams this playoffs had concerns going in, then experienced injuries to important pieces throughout. Steph Curry and Aaron Gordon sustained hamstring injuries, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum both tore Achilles tendons. Those disastrous injuries and more contributed to what be a surprising final four in the Conference Finals.
The Knicks were the most concerning team going into the playoffs with their leader and star player Jalen Brunson having badly sprained an ankle on March 6th that saw him miss 15 games. Since then, however, he’s been on a tear, averaging nearly 40 minutes per game scoring 28.8pts and dishing out 7.7ast per game. Precious Achiuwa is a bench player that hasn’t played much in these playoffs, but he might be needed against the Pacers with a formidable center in Myles Turner. Achiuwa has a sprained right ankle and was listed as Questionable for Game 6, but with some time off, the Knicks should be fully healthy as the Conference Finals begin.
They were the healthiest team in the East and in the first two rounds only saw a minor scare to starting center Myles Turner who exited Game 3 vs the Cavs with a foot injury after a hard fall, but he finished that game. Beyond that, the official injury report for the Indiana Pacers is currently blank.
(The Thunder won Game 1 114-88. No major injuries occurred in the game)
The Timberwolves have a mostly clean injury report heading into the conference finals. Anthony Edwards sustained a left ankle injury during Game 2 of the series vs Golden State, but beyond that, missed no time and had a stellar series. The lone player on the team’s injury list is Rob Dillingham, a guard off the bench who hasn’t played since April 11, and has yet to play in the playoffs. Oklahoma City is a very physical team and they have a lot of athletic wings so there may be a place for Dillingham in this series. The rookie guard has averaged 4.5pts per game, and doesn’t look to make much of an impact statistically, if available, but could be useful on defense.
The youngest team in the playoffs is also the healthiest team in the playoffs. They’ve gone two rounds and have sustained no major injuries. Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso had experienced some injuries throughout the season, but have been fully available during the playoffs. Jalen Williams had an inconsistent series vs Denver, but there was no indication that was due to any lingering injuries. Alex Caruso had a typical series for him with minimal box score contributions, but suffocating defense, particularly on Nikola Jokic in Game 7.
While there were some devastating injuries to big names in the first two rounds, the teams left standing do have some of the most exciting names that are the future of this league. The Knicks fans have been entertaining to watch as they support their team, the Thunder have the likely league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Timberwolves and face of the league Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton with a huge chip on his shoulder in Indiana. The Conference Finals should provide of entertainment for hoopheads.
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