NBA Playoffs 2025: Top Highlights from Conference Semifinals Game 3 and 4
Games 3 and 4 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals played a dramatic back-and-forth as favorites and underdogs jockeyed for control in a race to five wins. In Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers reasserted their top-seed dominance with a 126–104 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Donovan Mitchell torched the Pacers for 44 points, and Evan Mobley anchored the defense with five blocks. The Boston Celtics also flexed home-court muscle, dismantling the New York Knicks 115–93 as Jayson Tatum poured in 36 points. Out West, the Denver Nuggets answered Oklahoma City’s Game 2 offensive eruption with a 113–104 win, Nikola Jokić dominating inside while Michael Porter Jr. poured in 26. Meanwhile, Minnesota stunned the Warriors again, edging Golden State 117–110 thanks to Anthony Edwards’s 38-point barrage.
Game 4 flipped the script: underdogs roared back on enemy courts. Indiana dominated Cleveland 129–109 in Game 4, led by Obi Toppin’s 32 points and a blistering 57 percent shooting night. The Knicks silenced TD Garden with a 121–113 upset of Boston, as Quentin Grimes erupted for 29 points from deep. The Thunder held serve in Denver, grinding out a 92–87 win behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 and stifling help-side defense. And Minnesota claimed a second straight road win, beating the Warriors 117–110 in San Francisco, Naz Reid’s 34 points tipping the balance. Across four contests, the NBA Playoffs delivered star power, unexpected heroes, and seismic momentum swings.
Strategic Breakdowns: Coaching Moves That Defined Games 3 and 4
Each game’s outcome hinged on the chess match between veteran tacticians. In Cleveland, Tyronn Lue leaned into a two-big lineup in Game 3, exploiting Indiana’s frontcourt mismatches and controlling the boards—a strategy reversed by Rick Carlisle in Game 4, when he unleashed his small-ball unit to stretch the floor and create driving lanes for Haliburton. Boston’s Joe Mazzulla favored a tight rotation and early trap schemes in Game 3, then paid the price in Game 4 when Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks countered with constant motion offense and off-ball screens that disoriented the Celtics’ drop coverage. West of the Mississippi, Michael Malone in Denver tweaked his pick-and-roll coverages between games, shifting from hedge-and-recover to more conservative drop looks in Game 3—and then found himself defending isolation with mixed results in Game 4 after Mark Daigneault’s Thunder adjusted with aggressive trapping. Steve Kerr’s staggered minutes for Wiggins and Thompson earned praise in San Francisco in Game 3. Still, Chris Finch’s zone-pressed Timberwolves in Game 4 exploited the Warriors’ lack of continuity, generating decisive transition points. These in-series coaching duels underscore that in the NBA Playoffs, one tactical adjustment can alter the entire narrative.
Superstars or Systems? What’s Powering Teams in the Conference Semis
The interplay between transcendent talents and cohesive systems has defined the semis. Cleveland’s Game 3 resurgence stemmed from Mitchell’s heroics and Mobley’s rim protection, a classic superstar-plus-anchor formula. Conversely, Indiana’s Game 4 blowout showcased a well-oiled collective: Toppin, Haliburton, and Turner combined for 85 points, underscoring the Pacers’ next-man-up ethos. In Boston, the Celtics’ reliance on Tatum and Brown in Game 3 gave way to a more balanced attack by the Knicks in Game 4, as Brunson, Quickley, and Grimes each eclipsed 20. Denver’s Game 3 win illustrated Jokić’s gravitational pull, yet the Thunder’s Game 4 victory—built on balanced scoring and defensive rotations—proved that team synergy can neutralize even MVP-caliber stars. Minnesota’s back-to-back road triumphs reflect a fearless system driven by Edwards’s explosion but sustained by Reid, Russell, and Bonga, all thriving in coach Finch’s free-wheeling scheme. Through four games, the NBA Playoffs have revealed that neither superstar dominance nor system execution reigns supreme; instead, the most dangerous teams blend both.
Keys to Game 5: What Teams Must Fix After Game 3 and 4
Each contender faces critical corrections as the series shifts back to home courts for pivotal Game 5 showdowns. Cleveland must shore up perimeter rotations after yielding 15 threes in Game 4 and rebalance their offense to reduce isolation overuse. To prevent late-game collapses, the Pacers must counter Cleveland’s length by incorporating more high-post action for Turner and early-clock movement. Boston’s focus in Game 5 should be reasserting defensive identity—limiting Knicks catch-and-shoot opportunities—and establishing a more diversified half-court offense beyond its two stars. New York will look to expand their trap schemes and harness bench momentum, building on their newfound road confidence. Denver’s priority is identifying a secondary scorer beyond Jokić, as OKC outscored their bench in Game 4; reintroducing consistent three-point threats should alleviate interior pressure. The Thunder must maintain help-side communication and ball-pressure intensity without sacrificing offensive flow. Golden State, facing a tough 1–3 deficit, needs to rediscover Curry’s rhythm, revive their pick-and-roll efficiency, and tighten transition defense after conceding 24 fast-break points in Game 4. Minnesota’s task is to refine closing lineups—balancing their free-wheeling offense with veteran calm—to finish off the Warriors at home. In the NBA Playoffs, Game 5 often tilts series destiny; these adjustments will determine who seizes momentum and who faces early elimination.
Wrap-up thoughts on the NBA Playoffs: Game 3 and 4 Conference Semifinals
Games 3 and 4 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals captured the essence of postseason intensity: ebb and flow, stars ascending, and tactical warfare. Favorites rallied with emphatic home wins in Game 3, only to have underdogs reclaim narrative control on the road in Game 4. Breakout performances from role players, from Obi Toppin’s rim-rattling dunks to Quentin Grimes’s deep-range barrage, underscored that postseason glory extends beyond marquee names. Coaching ingenuity—swap-out lineups, trap schemes, staggered minutes—proved as impactful as any individual’s hot streak. As the series pivots to decisive Game 5s, expect every possession to be contested, every adjustment to be critical, and every superstar to be tasked with carrying their squad under the brightest lights. In the unforgiving theater of the NBA Playoffs, only those who marry strategic brilliance with clutch execution will survive and inch closer to conference crowns.
KEYWORDS
NBA PLAYOFFS, GAME 3, GAME 4, STANDINGS, HIGHLIGHTS, CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
