That’s a wrap! The Oklahoma City Thunder have won the NBA Title for the first time in their franchise history. They defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Finals last night, 103-91. This puts the cherry on top of a historic season. A season in which OKC won 68 games, their superstar won the MVP and Finals MVP, and they were the most dominant team all season. How did they look in the Finals? Is this the start of the next NBA dynasty, or is it a one-off?
Pacers’ Heartbreaking Loss
After an electric start to Game 7, the Pacers‘ night took a turn for the worst. Their superstar point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles just seven minutes into the game. Haliburton was looking to have a special night, scoring nine quick points on 3/4 shooting from three.
It is heartbreaking to see someone who was having a great postseason have their year end in such a manner. This marks the third player this postseason to suffer the same injury, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks were the others. That injury rules those players out for next season.
Even after Haliburton left the game, the Pacers continued to play with the heart and fire they had shown throughout the entire postseason. They played with great determination even without their star. Andrew Nembhard would hit a lead-taking three, which put Indiana up 48-47 at the half. Then the Thunder turned up the intensity, and it was all downhill from there. T.J. McConnell tried everything in his power to keep the Pacers in the game, scoring 12 of his 16 in the third, but it wasn’t enough.
Thunders’ Thunderous Defense
Even though the Pacers were without their star, the Thunder were in a dogfight in the first half. However, they turned it up in the second half. The Thunder have been a dominant defensive team all season long and went on one of their classic 20-2 runs from late in the 3rd quarter into the early minutes of the 4th quarter, extending their second-half lead to 22. That blew the game open, and despite a valiant effort from the Pacers, it wasn’t enough to pull off a Game 7 comeback.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) was great in every way, making amend for a bad Game 6. He finished with a playoff-high 12 assists with only one turnover and a “normal game” scoring game with 29 points. Now, he was very inefficient in scoring, shooting 8/27, including 2/12 from three-point range.
He did his damage from the free throw line (11-12) like he has all season long. Another key to their victory was forcing turnovers. The Thunder scored 32 points off the 21 turnovers they forced. The same exact number of points they scored off the 22 turnovers they forced in Game 5.
What Happens Now?
Let’s start with the Thunder. With OKC winning their first title in franchise history, they are just scratching the surface as to the team they can put forward for the next few seasons. With a great core of SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, the sky is the limit for this group. Their entire team is under contract, which means they can run it back. This offseason, I expect J-Dub and Holmgren to receive massive contract extensions, as they will be restricted free agents in 2026.
As for the Pacers, it’s heartbreaking that their superstar Haliburton suffered an injury that will cost him the 2025-2026 season. It will be interesting to see if they attempt to make any moves to contend next season in the wide-open Eastern Conference. With the oldest player in the rotation being McConnell (33), this team is young and has sizeable room to improve. Bennedict Mathurin should be getting an extension as he is a restricted free agent in 2026-2027.
Final Thoughts
With the Thunder winning their first NBA Title, it caps off a fantastic season. This season, we saw highs, including the Cavaliers winning 64 games, the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade to the Dallas Mavericks, and the Houston Rockets surprising everyone by earning the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. Next season promises to be more interesting, given the unfortunate injuries to some of the best players in the Eastern Conference.
The offseason dominoes have already started to fall, with KD being traded to the Rockets and Jrue Holiday getting traded to the Blazers, with many other names in the air. It’s been an amazing ride this season, and to see the two teams left standing on the cusp of winning their first title was a storybook ending. I can’t wait till next season, but we have the draft right around the corner! Thank you for checking out my NBA Finals recap! Be sure to check out our amazing content here at New Leaf News. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
