Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have brought a title to Oklahoma City. In the franchise's first championship clinching win, SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 5 rbs, 3 stk) sealed the Finals MVP and his spot in history alongside the 2024-25 Thunder.
The title is a party for Thunder fans who have rooted for the small market team who could since 2009, but the path to the Game 7 win was bittersweet. Late in the first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton appeared to snap his Achilles in a non-contact injury to the hurt calf he's nursed this series. Yet another devastating postseason injury to a star player in his prime, and a truly unfair end of the road for Indiana fans who had to watch their underdog's Goliath-slaying star lose the chance to finish a magical playoff run of upsets.
In addition to the MVP, Chet Holmgren (18 pts, 8 rbs, 5 blk) and Jalen Williams (20 pts, 4 rbs, 4 ast) finished their first title run as Shai's stars with solid, if offensively underwhelming performances. The Thunder overcame poor three-point shooting (11-40 team 3PA) once again, but were ultimately great enough this season to lean on Shai for points while the rest of the roster stifled their assignment with energy and force on defense. Tonight was no exception.
Losing their point guard maestro meant Indy would struggle to score against OKC's defense the rest of the game, but the Pacers unsurprisingly fought admirably. They actually held a 48-47 halftime lead, but the Thunder closed the third by pushing to a 13-point lead, which grew to a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter. The hellhounds (multiple steals from Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and JDub) and undertaker (SGA had just 1 turnover to his 12 assists) of Oklahoma City ensured that the Thunder won the possession battle decidedly--one last lopsided turnover war, a hallmark of OKC's dominant season. I can't say anything nice about the final minutes of the fourth quarter, except: OKC held onto the lead and earned their title. Great enough.
Enjoy the win and tune in for more coverage of the 2025 NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The scene in OKC before tip. pic.twitter.com/5yHetruHRi
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) June 23, 2025
Thunder defense didn’t allow a single Pacer point until the 7:30 mark of the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/BSXVcrNMPZ
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) June 23, 2025