The conference semifinal round of the 2025/26 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs concluded last Sunday night, with the only seven-game series of the round, which saw the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Detroit Pistons, get overwhelmed by the fourth seeded Cleveland Cavaliers 125-94, in Detroit.

Making way for the tip off of the anticipated Conference Finals on Monday, and the start was beyond anything anyone could imagine.

Eerily, in the first game of each conference final series, the four teams scored exactly 101 points at the end of regulation, to send both games into overtime. Firstly, on just two days of rest, compared to six for their opponents, the San Antonio Spurs marched into Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, on Monday, to take on the defending champion Thunder, and what ensued was a double overtime thriller beyond anyone’s wildest expectation. Then, when it was thought that things couldn’t get any better, the Cavaliers, on less than two days’ rest, visited Madison Square Gardens on Tuesday, to take on the New York Knicks, who had been resting for nine days, and what transpired still has the NBA-world stunned.

The Thunder entered Monday’s Western Conference Finals opener as heavy JustBet favourites, having swept the first two series of the postseason, and benefitting from extra rest, but they met a team with a chip on their shoulders, and the double-overtime scorcher handed the title favourites their first loss of this postseason. San Antonio’s French phenom, Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama, who made no secret about wanting to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) crown this season, sat and watched the coveted award being handed to last year’s winner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), before the game, then went berserk for 49 minutes, scoring 41 points and grabbing 24 rebounds in the 122-115 win. Wemby’s scoring included a ridiculous, Stephen Curry-like three-pointer just past halfcourt, to tie the game near the end of the first overtime period and force a second extra period.

Not that what happened was unexpected, as this matchup appeared the most likely when the playoffs started. Oklahoma City with the league’s best regular-season record (64-18), facing San Antonio, with the league’s second-best regular-season record (62-20), plus the MVP and runner-up MVP on the floor, less than fireworks would be a total disappointment. What was unexpected was the performance of SGA on such a big stage, and had it not been for the huge input of Alex Caruso (31 points), the result would have been a complete embarrassment.

SGA finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, 12 assists and three rebounds. He had an uncharacteristic four points in the first half, and only 10 through three quarters, before coming to life in the fourth to look more fitting of the newly minted MVP. His game faded in the overtime periods, adding only two points, and with the usual late-game heroics missing, plus little help around him, the Thunder faded into the background, while Wemby and the Spurs reached for the stars. JustBet still favours the Thunder to win it all, albeit by less lofty odds, but the opening result makes for an exciting series in the making.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals series tipped off on Tuesday, with the thought that it would be hard to follow the experience of the previous night. The unexpected happened. The Knicks came out scorching and had the Cavaliers on their heels, then went cold nearing halftime, giving up a 11-point lead to trail 46-48 at the break. Then it was Cleveland’s turn, who returned from the break white-hot and built a 22-point lead, up to 7:40 remaining in regulation. What happened next was one of the most stupendous sequence of events that could possibly happen in a playoff game, especially at this stage of the season.

The Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 30-8 in under eight minutes (including an 18-1 run), to tie the game at 101 in regulation, then outscored their reeling opponents 14-3 in overtime, to snatch the 115-104 win. Jalen Brunson had lots of help around him, but he was the catalyst for the most improbable victory, finishing with 38 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter, and he was pitiless against the defense (or lack thereof) of James Harden. Harden, along with Donovan Mitchell (who finished with 15 and 29 points, respectively), had three total points (1-for-10) over the final 12:49 of the game, with Mitchell’s last made field goal coming at the 8:19 mark in the fourth quarter, and as a team the Cavaliers shot 4-of-18 over that period. The collapse was the second-largest fourth quarter blown lead in the last 30 post seasons, and the Knicks have now also won eight-straight playoff games, dating back to the series against Atlanta, extending their longest playoff win streak in franchise history.

It may have been due to the weariness of having played two seven-game series prior to this, but the historic meltdown by the Cavaliers and the mid-game sludge by the Knicks is enough evidence that the best series of these playoffs is possibly being played right now in the Western Conference. No disrespect to New York or Cleveland, who have a wealth of talent in their respective locker rooms, but it is hard to see any of them beating the combatants in the west, especially the Thunder, who beat both teams twice in the regular season. Granted, the Knicks did beat the Spurs twice in the regular season, including for the NBA Cup championship, but the Wemby that has shown up since February is not the same Wemby the Knicks played in mid-December. That said, there is still a lot of basketball to be played until that point is reached, and nothing has been decided. We will stay in the present and enjoy the moments.

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