Following an exciting two weeks of the first round, featuring Game 7s and series sweeps, the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is set to begin.
The Eastern Conference leader, the Cleveland Cavaliers, after a dominant regular season, confidently defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round, becoming the first conference team to reach the semifinals. On Sunday, the Cavaliers will face Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, who eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The Boston Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions, are moving closer to a potential return to the Finals. However, they must first face a resilient New York Knicks team on Monday, which is coming off a challenging first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.
In the Western Conference, after a grueling seven-game series against the LA Clippers, the Denver Nuggets will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in an MVP showdown between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, starting Monday. In the other Western semifinal, the Minnesota Timberwolves will play against the winner of the remaining first-round series.
Before the second round begins, our NBA experts analyze the key questions for each series, including which underdog is most likely to advance and which player matchup they are most anticipating.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Indiana Pacers (4)
In a clash of two elite offenses, which one will prevail?
The difference between these two teams in recent months hasn`t been as significant as their regular season records might suggest. Since January 1st, the Cavs have a 35-14 record, while the Pacers are 34-14. Nevertheless, Cleveland led the East all season thanks to an elite offense that ranked first in the NBA in scoring with 121.9 points per game. This is the second-best mark in the last 40 years, trailing only the Pacers` 123.3 points in the 2023-24 season. The Cavs (136.2) and Pacers (118.0) were the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses by points per 100 possessions during the first round of the playoffs. Both teams aim to push the pace, and this series might be decided by which offense proves more dominant.
The Pacers will advance to their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals if _______?
Haliburton can dictate the pace of this series against Cleveland`s All-Star backcourt. Indy enters this series as the more experienced team, having gone deeper in the playoffs last year than most of the Cavs` core players. And the Pacers will go as far as Haliburton takes them. He has already delivered some big playoff moments in the last two years – defeating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden last season and sending the Milwaukee Bucks home in Game 5 of this season`s first round with a game-winning layup. The Cavs are not commenting on the status of two-time All-Star Darius Garland, who missed the last two games of the first round with a sprained left big toe. If Haliburton gets comfortable, starts spreading the floor and forcing Cleveland`s bigs to the perimeter, the Pacers can put the Cavs in an uncomfortable position.
Best Bet: Cleveland -1.5 Games (-180)
Count me as the one who expects the Cavaliers to win, and win convincingly. Yes, the Pacers won the regular season series, but that is misleading. Two of those wins came in April, after the Cavs had secured the top seed and started playing reserves. And the Pacers` first win was before the trade deadline deal that sent De`Andre Hunter to Cleveland and while Ty Jerome was out. The full-strength Cavaliers team is significantly better than the Pacers and can beat them at their own game. My official pick is Cavs in six games, but I could see them taking this series in five.
Boston Celtics (2) vs. New York Knicks (3)
After losing 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season, what will be the Knicks` main adjustment?
New York desperately needs to find a way to collapse on the Celtics` shooters better than they did during the regular season. No team played as much pick-and-roll drop coverage against Boston as the Knicks did, and Tom Thibodeau`s team paid dearly for it, surrendering 21 made 3s per game with the Celtics hitting 43.5% from deep in those four losses. A greater presence of backup Mitchell Robinson, who has the agility to come higher up on screens, will be key, as will schematic changes on defense.
The Celtics` biggest concern in this series is _____?
Jrue Holiday`s availability. Holiday missed the last three games of the first-round series against Orlando with a hamstring injury. He was a major difference-maker in the regular season meetings with New York, averaging 16 points and three assists on 67% shooting in three games. Perhaps most importantly, he is one of the Celtics` top defensive options for Jalen Brunson, who scored 30 or more five times in six games during the first round. According to NBA.com`s matchup data, Holiday defended him for 80 possessions, limiting Brunson to 3-for-6 shooting and six points in that regular season span.
Best Bet: Exact Series Total Games — Six (+295)
The Knicks have struggled against the Celtics, losing eight of their last nine matchups. They are also coming off a tough series against the Detroit Pistons. While New York will provide a greater challenge to Boston than Orlando did in Round 1, the Celtics are simply too potent offensively with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and excellent depth – including Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. They are also defensively strong. Boston will not sweep New York, but I foresee them closing out the series with relative ease.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (4)
How do Murray and Jokic overcome OKC`s league-leading defense?
They can start by watching the tape of the last game between these teams: a 140-127 win for the Nuggets in Oklahoma City on March 10th. This was Jokic`s only efficient shooting performance in four meetings with the Thunder, but it was a dominant display – he scored 35 points on 15-of-20 shooting and dished out eight assists. Murray scored 34 points that night, more than he had combined in the other two games he played against Oklahoma City this season. He will need help from Jokic and other teammates to free him from Lu Dort, who is as good as any defender in the league at fighting over or through screens.
Which MVP candidate will have a greater impact on this series?
It better be Jokic if the Nuggets are going to have any chance of pulling off the upset. The Thunder are a significantly more talented and deeper team, as evidenced by Oklahoma City cruising to a league-best 68 wins and shattering the NBA record for point differential in a season. But the Thunder are as well-equipped as anyone to contain Jokic, featuring a pair of defensive-minded 7-footers in Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, as well as several guards and wings who are pests in the passing lanes. Denver also lacks an All-Defensive candidate for the primary assignment on Gilgeous-Alexander.
Best Bet: Exact Series Total Games — Five (+175)
Over the summer, I predicted the Thunder would win it all this year, and nothing I`ve seen so far has changed my mind. However, any team with `Playoff Jamal Murray` and Nikola Jokic is a threat not only to win games but also the series. It`s hard to find value in this series, but I like the idea of Denver getting at least one game, and the +175 odds seem like a reasonable payout if the Thunder can win 4-1. The Thunder could sweep, or Denver could win more than one game, but five games feels like the smartest bet to me. The teams split the season series 2-2, but I would be surprised if Denver wins that many games in this one.
