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The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are engaged in a tense series, with both teams desperately trying to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in two and a half decades. But Charles Barkley firmly believes that all the hard-fought battles will only amount to a consolation prize for whoever emerges victorious from the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hall of Famer and TNT analyst has stood behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for a long time now, and he seems confident as ever in their 2025 championship coronation. Apparently, Barkley is even willing to back up his prediction with his bank account.
“Whoever comes out of the East, [OKC] will beat the hell out of them,” he said ahead of Tuesday's Game 4 collision between the Knicks and Pacers. “The Thunder are gonna win the championship and anybody that wanna bet, come to my damn house because I can afford it.”
Barkley just won another Emmy for most Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst, and his unabashed opinions are likely one of the reasons why. He speaks with conviction and does not care if his takes end up irritating or offending some people. And in this case, many fans probably agree with him.
"Whoever comes out of the East, [OKC] will beat the hell out of them… The Thunder are gonna win the championship and anybody that wanna bet, come to my damn house because I can afford it."
Charles Barkley is CONFIDENT in Oklahoma City 🗣️
(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/7LAWSsZuyh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 27, 2025
Is the year the Thunder bring home the trophy?
Although the Thunder are young and largely inexperienced from an NBA Finals standpoint — only 2020 champion Alex Caruso has been there before — they are looking like the most complete team in the league. OKC earned that label in the regular season, and after surviving a grueling seven-game test from the Denver Nuggets, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference once again feels like the clear favorite.
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This postseason has been historically unpredictable, however. The Pacers and Knicks have each pulled off unfathomable comebacks at least three times each and could bring that same fighting spirit to the Finals. Whichever squad earns the right to represent the East should have plenty of valuable experience to call upon when vying for the title. Barkley's words, one way or another, will inevitably reach Indiana and New York.
Perhaps his strong declaration is the extra inspiration they will need in June. He is not just offending Knicks and Pacers fans, however. Charles Barkley is emphatically writing off the Minnesota Timberwolves. A 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals is undeniably bleak, especially against MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the 68-win Thunder, but Anthony Edwards and the Wolves still have a postseason pulse.
Timberwolves could still have some bite left in the playoffs
When faced with elimination versus the Nuggets last year, Minnesota rose to the occasion and eventually won the series. Overcoming this adversity will be tougher given Oklahoma City's supreme balance and depth, but a Game 5 win in the Paycom Center could give Chris Finch's team new life and simultaneously put Barkley under more scrutiny.
But the Thunder should understand how dangerous it would be to head back to the Target Center. They will try to embody the type of dominance that inspired possibly the most famous analyst in sports to dub them as the best in the land. Meanwhile, the Knicks and Pacers will continue this supposed exercise in futility.
Barkley should keep in mind one thing, however. When these two franchises were sent to the slaughter house in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they both found a way out. Maybe OKC is destined to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but if there was ever a time for logic to cease, it is the 2025 NBA playoffs.
