Bill Haisten
OKLAHOMA CITY — Before Sunday night, there had never been this much noise, this much energy and this much anxiety bundled in one Oklahoma room.
That room was Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, the site of Game 7 of the NBA Finals — an all-or-nothing clash of the favored Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.
In spite of an apparently serious leg injury sustained by Pacer star Tyrese Haliburton during the first period, OKC led by no more than six points until late in the third.
At the 8:27 mark of the final quarter, there was a Jalen Williams 3-pointer that gave OKC a 21-point cushion and elicited from the crowd of 18,203 a deafening reaction.
The party had begun, although the resilient Pacers heightened the stress level considerably when they closed to within 10 points.
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Ultimately, though, the greatest of the Thunder’s 17th Oklahoma season ended in the best possible manner — with a 103-91 victory, the NBA championship and confetti that floated to the arena floor from the rafters.
A state known for college football now has a professional world title in basketball.
Voted the Most Valuable Player of the regular season and of the NBA Finals, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed his sixth OKC season with a typical stat line that included 29 points and 12 assists.
A Game 7 was necessary because the Thunder played terribly in a Game 6 loss at Indiana. Combining the four quarters of Game 6 and the first two quarters of Game 7, the Oklahoma City starters were 2-of-23 on 3-point shots.
After trailing 48-47 at halftime on Sunday, the Thunder’s shooting and ball security were significantly better. While outscoring Indiana 30-14 during the third period, Oklahoma City shot 50% from the field and did not commit a turnover.
On resale platforms, Game 7 ticket prices ranged from about $1,000 for an upper-level seat to the incredible $8,000-$9,000 neighborhood for a lower-level vantage point.
Before Sunday, the most painful loss in Thunder history was the 2016 Western Conference finals Game 6 home loss to the Golden State Warriors (who would prevail also in Game 7, ending that OKC season and, in effect, Kevin Durant’s career in Oklahoma).
If the Thunder had faltered on Sunday, there would have been a new leader on the “painful losses” list, and this one would have been No. 1 by a mile.
An outstanding Game 7 third quarter eliminated that possibility. The Thunder was the NBA’s best team all season and now has the grandest prize in basketball.
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