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As the 2025 NBA playoffs reach their climax, only four teams remain in contention: the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers, and the third-seeded New York Knicks. While it was widely anticipated that Oklahoma City would make a deep playoff run, the presence of the Timberwolves in the final four has surprised many analysts.

At the start of the playoffs, most experts would have predicted the Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, or the defending champions, the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, to be vying for a spot in the Finals. However, injuries to key players such as Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell for Cleveland, and Jayson Tatum for Boston, significantly impaired their postseason campaigns.

From his renowned career as a point guard with the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson is no stranger to playoff predictions, and he has now weighed in on which teams he believes will advance to the NBA Finals. Johnson recently shared on social media platform X, "I have the New Knicks beating the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the NBA Finals."

Analyzing the regular-season matchups, the Knicks hold a slight edge over the Pacers, having won two out of their three contests. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were standout performers for New York in these games, with Brunson averaging 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, and Towns contributing a remarkable 30.3 points and 12 rebounds per game. Brunson has continued to excel in the playoffs, ranking as the fifth-leading scorer with averages of 28.8 points, 7.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. The Pacers' strongest player in those matchups was Benedict Mathurin, who averaged 25.3 points, mostly coming off the bench.

As for the Western Conference showdown, the Thunder and Timberwolves split their regular-season series 2-2. Oklahoma City is powered by MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 29 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in the postseason. On the other side, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is having a breakout playoff performance, averaging 26.5 points, eight rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. The 23-year-old guard has led the Timberwolves to impressive series victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, although the Warriors were notably without Steph Curry for much of their series.

As the final matchups unfold, basketball enthusiasts eagerly await to see if Magic Johnson's predictions will come true, setting the stage for a Knicks vs. Timberwolves NBA Finals.