If teams want to compete in the modern-day NBA, they need to have a robust system of scouting and analytics ready to capitalize on every tactic and trend. Still, a team’s triumphs and struggles can’t be explained by data alone. Sometimes, reading the vibes and energy of the cosmos can help fill the gaps.

That might especially be the case in the 2025 NBA playoffs, which went from seemingly predictable to completely off the rails in a few weeks. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, heavy favorites to win the East all season, are now on extended summer vacations. The Oklahoma City Thunder were nearly sent packing by the Denver Nuggets before winning Game 7 on Sunday. In the face of historic second-round chaos, maybe it’s only natural to look beyond scouting reports and spreadsheets — and up at the stars, searching for meaning in a basketball universe that has defied all other means of postseason forecasting thus far.

This is why I thought it would be fun — and definitely informative — to provide some guiding words for each contender based on the zodiac signs of its best players and what the horoscope has to say about their future championship potential as the New York Knicks host the Indiana Pacers in Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Max) and the Thunder host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Tuesday’s Game 1 of the West finals (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

While I’m certainly not a zodiac expert or a full-time astrologist by day (or night), this NBA horoscope is meant to be entertaining while still incorporating truths about each team and player — both statistical and celestial.

Let’s see what the stars have to say about the rest of the playoffs.

Conference finals:
Eastern: Pacers-Knicks
Western: Thunder-Wolves

Eastern Conference finals

⭐ Best player: Tyrese Haliburton (11.6 WAR)
Date of birth: Feb. 29, 2000 (♓ Pisces)

According to astrological calendars, May opened with a sense of awakening for Pisces, and for Haliburton, that means stepping into the clearest version of himself: an efficient offensive wizard who orchestrates with passing and shooting as much as with scoring, and who leads from intuition rather than ego. Though his usage (22.2%) ranks fourth on the team in these playoffs, Haliburton’s all-seeing court vision and feel for the game — the kind you can’t teach, only channel — helps set the tempo for one of the NBA’s fastest-paced and most creative teams.

With Mercury and the Scorpio full moon opening doors for connection and empowerment, Haliburton is being asked to trust his instincts, stay calm in the moment and lead a group that has already shaken up the playoff bracket and reshaped the energy of the East.

✨ The supporting stars:

Pascal Siakam, ♈️ Aries
Andrew Nembhard, ♑️ Capricorn
Aaron Nesmith, ♎️ Libra
Myles Turner, ♈️ Aries

This is a core defined by both contrast and chemistry. Siakam and Turner, both Aries fire signs, bring complementary expressions of assertiveness: The former is a top-tier shot creator and rebounder whose cardinal sign — Aries, the initiator of spring — energizes the Pacers’ unpredictable offense, while the latter protects the rim with boldness and impeccable timing. Capricorn Nembhard is also a cardinal sign, but he plays a different role based on his sign’s traits: disciplined, grounded and quietly effective, with a low usage rate that masks above-average playmaking, an emerging shooting touch (he’s 22-for-44 from 3 in the playoffs) and a gift for defensive disruption.

Then there’s Nesmith, embodying a Libra who acts as the team’s harmonizer, bringing elite 3-and-D skills that form a bridge between offense and defense. Together, this group creates an elemental balance — fire (Siakam and Turner), earth (Nembhard) and air (Nesmith) — orbiting around Haliburton’s watery offensive instincts and flow. Much like this Pacers season, the whole is more powerful than the sum of its parts.

⭐ Best player: Jalen Brunson (7.2 WAR)
Date of birth: Aug. 31, 1996 (♍️ Virgo)

The Knicks are an embodiment of their star player Brunson, whose Virgo qualities — focused, forceful and hardworking — are guiding the franchise to the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. With his knack to create for himself while also being unselfish, Brunson is the methodical engine driving New York’s Cinderella run, even if he seldom makes things look easy.

His defense might shine less brightly than other stars (he has a minus-2.0 defensive RAPTOR rating this postseason), but with Mercury entering Taurus on May 10 and the Scorpio full moon on May 12 unlocking the third house of communication, the moment calls for a Virgo’s ability to stay centered, vocal and sharp amid the chaos of the playoffs. Saturn’s late-May transit into the house of transformation — and the Gemini new moon set to occur May 26 — marks a turning point, potentially directing Brunson’s ascent (ongoing since his early Villanova days) toward something even more profound: the legacy of a champion.

✨ The supporting stars:

Josh Hart, ♓️ Pisces
Karl-Anthony Towns, ♏️ Scorpio
Mikal Bridges, ♍️ Virgo
OG Anunoby, ♋️ Cancer

The Knicks’ playoff surge is powered by water and earth, forming a team identity that’s grounded yet emotionally adaptable. Hart, a Pisces, brings the classic creativity and empathy of a water sign: He’s scrappy, unselfish and willing to do whatever’s needed, even if the basic box score doesn’t always show it. (He has a plus-2.4 playoff RAPTOR rating despite scoring just 13.5 points per game, lowest of the Knicks’ starters).

Towns channels the raw emotional undercurrent of the Scorpio’s need to prove something — he’s averaging 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds for New York in parallel with a conference finals run by his former team, the Wolves. Bridges, a Virgo, provides another dose of quiet intensity, though his shooting has been a bit off (29.3% from 3, 50.0 true shooting percentage) so far this postseason, while Cancerian Anunoby offers tenacious perimeter defense and all-around reliability, tapping into the sign’s protective instincts.

Together, the astrological makeup of this team — steady Earth signs anchoring emotional water — is perfect for riding out playoff turbulence. While they don’t overpower opponents (with just a plus-11 point differential in 12 games), the Knicks do outlast them.

Series outlook

Indiana just knocked out the East’s No. 1 seed with relative ease — and as the stars sync around Haliburton’s infectiously positive rhythm, the Pacers look less like a fluke and more like a force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, the Knicks just toppled the favored Celtics in six, clearly channeling something deeper than the stats. (They spent most of the series as moderate to heavy underdogs, but they fed on the Madison Square Garden crowd’s energy to crush Boston at home in Game 6.) Also, they will have home-court advantage against Indiana with a trip to the Finals on the line. But in the end, watch for the Pacers’ vibes to be especially strong against a New York team that Indiana has shown impressive energy against in the past.

BPI favorite: Pacers, 52.4%

Western Conference finals

⭐ Best player: Anthony Edwards (11.2 WAR)
Date of birth: Aug. 5, 2001 (♌️ Leo)

Mars is in Leo for the rest of the playoffs, and Edwards is already embracing his drive for leadership and recognition. The face of Minnesota’s playoff run is roaring full of fire-sign energy: bold, confident and unafraid to take center stage with his 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. As Mars has fully left its retrograde shadow in Leo, doubts about Edwards’ ability to lead a winner are melting away; what remains is the ambition needed to turn potential into championship reality. With Mercury bringing career aspirations into focus, Edwards will be tasked with balancing his on-court charisma and dynamism against questions of deeper emotional foundation. The new moon in Gemini challenges him to look ahead and ask if now is the moment he claims his destiny as an heir apparent to history’s greatest stars.

✨ The supporting stars:

Jaden McDaniels, ♎️ Libra
Rudy Gobert, ♋️ Cancer
Julius Randle, ♐️ Sagittarius
Mike Conley, ♎️ Libra

This Timberwolves group blends fire, water and air into a mixture that somehow works — each player reflecting a unique aspect of Minnesota’s rise. Randle, another fire sign, is peaking at the right time, upping his scoring load from the regular season (18.7 points per game) to the playoffs (23.9) and bringing an adventurous Sagittarian spirit to the front court. Gobert plays the opposite role as a steady defensive anchor embodying Cancer’s protective qualities in the paint.

The two Libras — McDaniels and Conley — bring balance in different ways: McDaniels as a super efficient wing defender and Conley as an experienced leader who holds everything together through the steadying presence we would expect from a former teammate of the year award winner. As a group, they come together in elemental harmony: fire (Edwards, Randle), water (Gobert) and air (McDaniels, Conley), giving Minnesota the emotional range to run hot but also stay cool under pressure.

⭐ Best player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.8 WAR)
Date of birth: July 12, 1998 (♋️ Cancer)

May offers the potential to be a transformative month for Cancer — and for Gilgeous-Alexander, those changes could be profound. The face of Oklahoma City’s franchise is silencing the doubters and leading with his sign’s blend of intuition, creativity and emotionality at both ends. While Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 29.3% from 3-point range these playoffs, he still manages to bend games to his will with craft and guile. (Remember the concerns that he wouldn’t be able to draw his trademark foul calls in the playoffs? He has a higher free throw rate now than in the regular season.)

With Mars finally clearing its retrograde shadow, this is his moment to fully step into his power. But this month’s moon cycles also ask something deeper: Can Gilgeous-Alexander maintain emotional clarity and joy amid the pressure of legacy? Cancer signs are natural carriers of responsibility and weight — and right now, Gilgeous-Alexander is carrying a franchise, a city and maybe even the future of the NBA.

✨ The supporting stars:

Jalen Williams, ♈️ Aries
Alex Caruso, ♓️ Pisces
Cason Wallace, ♏️ Scorpio
Chet Holmgren, ♉️ Taurus

Oklahoma City’s young core is built both on talent and energetic diversity. Williams, an Aries, brings fire-sign aggression to the attack — high usage, great efficiency and defensive effort — even if his jumper (25.4% from 3) could be sharper. Caruso, a veteran Pisces, is the spiritual glue of the team, fearless on defense as the perimeter anchor of the Thunder’s league-best unit.

Wallace, a second-year Scorpio, plays beyond his years — a quiet defensive disruptor who can knock down a shot when necessary. And Holmgren, the lone earth sign of the group, brings grounded consistency across the board, with elite rim protection (a team-best 2.2 blocks per game) and a balanced two-way game that gives Oklahoma City’s fast-paced attack a strong outlet passer and a lob threat in transition. (It doesn’t take a Taurus to appreciate the beauty of a Jalen Williams-to-Holmgren alley-oop!) This complete group is all about cosmic harmony: fire (Williams), earth (Holmgren) and water (Caruso, Wallace), orbiting the protective intuition of Cancerian Gilgeous-Alexander.

play

Why J.B. Bickerstaff believes Timberwolves match up well vs. Thunder

J.B. Bickerstaff credits Minnesota’s balance as the key reason the team can challenge OKC in the Western Conference finals.

Series outlook

Oklahoma City just outlasted the 2023 champion Nuggets with a Game 7 blowout, and as the last remaining powerhouse from the regular season, the runway is clear for the Thunder to make their ascent. Minnesota has its own rise in mind, knocking off big names with surprising ease so far.

Whether the break before the conference finals leads to rust or rest, the stars suggest the Wolves are playing with both confidence and cosmic alignment. But even so, the Thunder are clear favorites here. With the league’s best metrics and championship-level vibes, Oklahoma City is out to prove it is no longer the team of the future — it’s the team of right now.

BPI favorite: Thunder, 82.8%