Finals Game Seven: The Power of Thunder

The last time the NBA Finals went the full seven games was in 2016. We all remember that year's Finals. The rematch from a year prior. The Golden State Warriors, then-defending champions and posting the greatest regular season in NBA history with 73 wins, against the Cleveland Cavaliers team who was defeated by the Warriors in 2015. The Warriors were up 3-1 after four games, one win away from repeating. However, the Cavs won Games Five and Six to force a deciding seventh game in the Bay Area. The game was close, it was tied very late, but Kyrie Irving's three gave Cleveland the lead, and LeBron's block clinched it for the Cavs.

Fast forward nine years and three days later, and here we are again. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are going at it one more time. Game Seven, NBA Finals, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It's been a very wild series so far. Indy stole Game One, but OKC took Game Two to even it up. Pacers won Game Three at home, and looked to take Game Four, only for the Thunder to strike back. Game Five saw Tyrese Haliburton banged up as OKC won it, and Game Six was won in dominant fashion by the Pacers.

So here we are, the 20th Game Seven in NBA Finals history. The home team in 15-4 in such games, which is good for the Thunder, but the last FG7 in 2016 was won by the road team, which helps the Pacers. This game started off close, and I was hopeful for a close game with two of the game's top stars showing out.

And then, seven minutes in, one of the top stars' season ended early.

Haliburton's injury to his Achilles worsened, and we were all so heartbroken to see this. Haliburton was definitely willing to get in this game knowing the risks. After all, it's Game Seven of the NBA Finals. You can't not get in this if you have the chance to participate in the ultimate finale. He was down on that floor for the longest time, and we all knew that it was over for him. Out for the rest of the game. The pessimism regarding the Pacers increased, but the first quarter remained close, with OKC only up by three after the first dozen minutes. The second quarter was a big one for the Pacers, they kept it close, tied it a few times, and a three-pointer gave Indy a halftime lead!

The Pacers led by the slimmest of margins at halftime, and that had some believing that they had a chance to pull it off. The chance was definitely there. It was still close for most of the third quarter, but OKC started pulling away. Big time. The turnovers for Indy racked up, and the Thunder capitalized left and right. They had a double digit lead at the end of the third quarter, and it built up to as many as 20 points. It was over. The Pacers gave a great effort with Haliburton down and done, but the Thunder were too much for them.

On June 22, 2025, the Oklahoma City Thunder won Game Seven, 104-91, capturing the NBA Championship for the first time since relocating from Seattle in 2008. The team originated in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics and won the championship in 1979, and ended up moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. It was in the 2011-12 season that the team reached the NBA Finals for the first time since relocating, only to be defeated by the "Big 3" Miami Heat. This year, the Thunder finished with 68 wins, the best record in franchise history, and capped it off with a 16-7 postseason. This year's Thunder team became the fourth to win a combined 84+ games in a season. Ironically, the 2015-16 Warriors had the most combined wins with 88, but that team lost the Finals.

Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named Finals MVP, so he has that, a ring, and is the reigning NBA MVP. SGA led the way with 29 points, while Jalen Williams had 20 of his own. As for the Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin led with 24 points off the bench, while TJ McConnell and Pascal Siakam had 16 points each. An update on the situational stats. The Game One winner of the NBA Finals is now 55-24, and out of the five Finals recaps I've written, this is the third time that the Game One winner went on to lose the Finals (2021 and 2022 were the other occurrences). The Pacers also became the 9th team to win Game Three in a 1-1 Finals, and lose the series. Game Five winners in a 2-2 Finals now improve to 24-8, an even 75%, and the home team improves to 16-4 in Finals Game Sevens.

The Thunder are NBA Champions at last, an amazing end to a very wild and crazy season. As for the Pacers, I think they'll be fine. I wouldn't be shocked if they make it back. They had a hell of a run, came very close, and really turned some heads this season. A new NBA season will begin on October 21, 2025, with NBC returning to the NBA fray, replacing TNT in that role. But for now, it's a major congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder, for reaching the top of the proverbial mountain!

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