The Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night finished what they started back in late October, and put the rest of the NBA on notice that there’s a new sheriff in town.
With an average age under 26, the Thunder capped off one of the winningest seasons in league history with a seven-game triumph over a pesky Indiana Pacers team to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
It was a tight affair in the early-going, indicative of the back-and-forth nature of the entire series, and then disaster struck for Indiana.
Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had been instrumental in a string of incredible comeback wins for the Pacers this postseason, went down with a non-contact injury to his lower right leg. He writhed in pain, slapping the floor in a mixture of frustration, heartbreak and physical discomfort. His father later confirmed to broadcaster ESPN what many had suspected – it was an Achilles injury for the 25-year-old.
With every excuse to throw in the towel, the Pacers instead rallied around their injured leader. Keyed by Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam and a hard-nosed defense, Indiana took a surprising 48-47 lead into halftime.
As the adrenaline began to wear off, the Thunder started to impose their will in the third quarter of the game.
In the blink of an eye, the game went from tied at 56-56 to a nine-point OKC lead after three consecutive long range shots from the Thunder’s “Big 3” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
The Thunder never looked back from that point.
OKC, which boasted the league’s best defense in the regular season, began swarming all over the short-handed Pacers. The Thunder held Indiana scoreless for the first 4:31 of the fourth quarter as Oklahoma City’s lead grew to 22 points.
The Pacers showed their trademark determination and never quit, trimming the deficit down to 10 points with two-and-a-half minutes left.
But without their late-game hero Haliburton, the mountain was just too steep for the Pacers, and the Thunder ultimately won the game 103-91.
The Thunder’s centerpiece, Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 29 points and earned Finals MVP honors, becoming the first player since LeBron James in 2013 to earn both regular season and Finals MVP awards. SGA also became just the fourth player in NBA history to win the league MVP trophy, the scoring title and win the Finals, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.
After looking listless at halftime, the Thunder closed their season in the same fashion that they had been playing since October: Intense defense, lightning quick runs and leaning on Gilgeous-Alexander’s near-perfect basketball to take home the title.
The lasting image from the celebration tonight will not be remembered by its focal point.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein was on the stage, celebrating with his teammates and holding his son who was absolutely zonked out.
Lil Hartenstein is slumped 😂😂😂 congrats Okc.
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 23, 2025
The little Hartenstein is a little more than a year old and truly must not be used to late nights because even amid the raucous cheering in the Paycom Center, he was sleeping hard.
Hartenstein said he wanted the crowd to make a little noise to wake up his son but it was to no avail.
Sometimes, you just gotta sleep.
An emotional Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talked about his star player, Tyrese Haliburton, who went down with an apparent Achilles injury in the first quarter.
“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped. But he will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery,” Carlisle told reporters. Haliburton’s father told the ABC broadcast that the injury was to his son’s Achilles.
“So, he authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one’s ever seen and did it as 1 of 17. You know, that’s the beautiful thing about him. As great a player as he is, it’s always a team thing. And so, our hearts go out to him.”
Carlisle also congratulated the Thunder for their NBA championship win.
“The way this season started and everything, they may have had those buses painted up back in December,” Carlisle said. “So they will have a great parade. They have great fans. This was a great series.”
“It doesn’t feel real,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told ABC’s Lisa Salters after the game when asked about accomplishing his childhood dream of winning an NBA title.
“So many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief, so many nights of belief. It’s crazy to know we are all here. But this group worked for it and this group put in the hours and deserved this.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Finals MVP said “the fun” he had tonight with his family is what he will remember the most of the NBA Finals first Game 7 in almost decade.
“The moment was amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The fans were amazing. It was so much fun. Exactly what I expected.”
As Paycom Center erupted in joy after Oklahoma City clinched its first NBA title, there was also an outpouring of emotion from the Indiana Pacers, who game up just short in this seven-game rollercoaster of an NBA Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ late game hero so many times this postseason, was waiting on crutches in the tunnel to welcome his teammates after a reported Achilles injury ended his night in the first quarter.
The injured star exchanged consoling handshakes and hugs with all of the Pacers’ players, coaches and basketball staff as they filtered through the tunnel.
Pacers’ royalty Reggie Miller was also seen in the tunnel to offer words of encouragement to the dejected Indiana players. The five-time All-Star and hall of famer Miller was part of the only other Pacers team to reach the Finals in 2000, when Indiana fell to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reserve guard TJ McConnell, who stepped up with 16 points off the bench in Game 7 and a whopping 84 points in the series, was inconsolable as the emotion poured out in the wake of the heartbreaking loss.
Who else could it be?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the regular season MVP and now he can call himself the NBA Finals MVP as well.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the @okcthunder is the recipient of the Bill Russell Trophy as the MVP of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV. pic.twitter.com/MT5eBgDGWi
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 23, 2025
SGA becomes just the fourth ever player to win the scoring title, regular season MVP and NBA Finals in the same season, joining Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Not bad company.
Truly a game of two halves for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After a mostly listless opening two quarters in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – surely the MVP of these Finals – was the only player on the team in double figures, the Thunder returned to what makes them great.
The suffocating defense, the breakneck speed on the offensive end and SGA playing an exquisite game of basketball was more than enough to put away the Pacers.
It’s been a truly remarkable Finals – most pundits expected the Pacers to be swept or maybe go down in five games – and a second-half blowout and Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating injury wouldn’t have been on anyone’s wishlist for how it would end.
But no one can argue the Thunder don’t deserve this title, putting together one of the most complete seasons the NBA has seen in quite some time.
Oklahoma City outlasted a potential signature Indiana fourth quarter comeback to win the NBA championship.
The Thunder beat the Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to bring home the franchise’s first title since moving to “The Big Friendly” in 2008.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 29 points and 12 assists to lead the Thunder to the franchise-altering win.
The major key of the game for the Thunder was the defense.
OKC forced Indiana to commit 23 total turnovers, scoring 29 points off of them.
The Thunder, who finished with the NBA’s best regular season record, become the second straight team to win the title and have the best regular season record after the Boston Celtics did last year.
The Thunder are on the verge as the bench is emptied and the starters exit to a huge ovation.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle does the same and it’s just about done here.
Score: Thunder 103, Pacers 87
The Paycom Center is rocking as the Thunder are closing out this Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers.
It’s now a 14-point game with a minute to go.
Score: Thunder 101, Pacers 87
There were hints that the Pacers maybe had one last miraculous comeback in them, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely.
The Thunder have a 13-point lead and we are under three minutes to go.
Score: Thunder 94, Pacers 81
Somewhere, Nico Harrison is smiling because it does seem like defense is about to win a championship.
The Thunder were the league’s best defensive team in the regular season, leading the NBA in defensive efficiency. In the opening game of this series, they forced Indiana to turn the ball over an insane 25 times, making the Pacers’ win in that game even crazier.
But in this game, the Pacers no longer have Tyrese Haliburton. And they appear to have run out of miracles.
The Thunder have forced the Pacers into 19 turnovers and scored 28 points off those turnovers. Particularly in the second half, the Pacers shooting has been disappointing and they’re under 40% from the field for the game.
It seemed at halftime like this game was going to be a rock fight until the end. But the Thunder opened up the third quarter like a team that remembered what got it here – defense, defense, defense.
Oh, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the game with 25 points.
Score: Thunder 93, Pacers 80
Just like that, the Pacers have cut the lead down to 14 points with 4:45 remaining the game.
Indiana are currently on an 11-1 run behind two players off the bench – TJ McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin, who both have 16 points.
Can the Thunder hold on to the lead or are the Pacers due for another improbable fourth quarter comeback?
Score: Thunder 93, Pacers 79
Oklahoma City has all the momentum and they lead by 21 points with under nine minutes to go in the game.
The Thunder are firing on all cylinders – offensively and defensively.
MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a game-high 25 points while Chet Holmgren is defending the boards with six rebounds and three blocks.
The Thunder can start to see their first title for the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Score: Thunder 89, Pacers 68
With star point guard sidelined for the rest of the game with a reported Achilles injury and the game seemingly beginning to slip away in the third quarter, the Pacers once again released its secret weapon – veteran reserve guard TJ McConnell.
Just as he has time and time again for the Pacers this postseason, the 33-year-old guard came of the bench with a huge shot in the arm for his team.
McConnell caught fire for the Pacers coming out of halftime, pouring in 12 points in the third quarter and suddenly leading Indiana in scoring with 16 points in the game.
The high-energy reserve also has 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.
Twelve minutes is all that separates both these teams from being NBA champions.
The Thunder take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter after a huge frame from the NBA’s best regular season team.
Shai Gilegous-Alexander has a game-high 22 points while TJ McConnell is doing his best Haliburton impression off the bench with 16 points.
But the Pacers’ turnovers are killing them and it seems like the Thunder rediscovered their identity at halftime.
Can the Thunder keep this momentum in the final quarter?
Score: Thunder 81, Pacers 68
The Paycom Center is rocking with electricity as the Thunder lead by 11 points with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
It isn’t the offense thats propeling OKC to the lead, it’s their defense.
The Thunder have been all over Indiana, forcing them into eight turnovers in the quarter alone.
The even more impressive part… they have 25 points off Indiana turnovers.
The Pacers have 17 total turnovers while the Thunder have five.
Score: Thunder 79, Pacers 68
For a second there, it looked like the Pacers finally woke up after halftime.
Indy tied the game at 56 on a Myles Turner 3-pointer.
But since it’s again been all Thunder. And it’s not just their MVP that’s doing the work.
OKC went on a 3-point barrage – three consecutive long range shots from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. SGA’s teammates are stepping up after a quiet first half and that could be the deciding factor in this one.
The Thunder hold a nine-point lead – the largest of the game so far.
Indiana has had a response to each Thunder run in this game. Do they have a counterpunch ready or is this going to be one of those trademark Thunder runs that breaks the game open?
Score: Thunder 65, Pacers 56
The Thunder look like a different team to start the second half.
OKC took the lead on a Chet Holmgren two-point shot and have not looked back since.
Luguentz Dort has been one of the few Thunder players shooting the ball well from 3-point land and knocked down a crazy long range Hail Mary as the shot clock expired to expand the lead.
Game 5 hero Jalen Williams finally looked himself as he drove to the rim to extend the lead to five points.
There is still 9:20 to play in the third quarter.
Score: Thunder 56, Pacers 51
When Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton went down midway through the first quarter with a reported Achilles injury, conventional wisdom would have suggested that the already-difficult prospect of defeating the Thunder in their raucous home arena might have just become an impossible task for the Pacers.
But somehow the Pacers are hanging with the NBA’s winningest team of the season.
Indiana’s MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, Pascal Siakam, is leading the way for the Pacers with 10 points at halftime.
The Pacers’ tandem of guards Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin have scored 9 points and 8 points respectively playing extra minutes.
The Pacers’ secret weapon at the midway point might just be its in-your-face defense. In the absence of the team’s most streaky scorer, Indiana as slowed the game down with its defense grinding on Oklahoma City on every possession.
The results speak for themselves, as the Pacers held one of the NBA’s most dynamic offenses to just 47 first-half points and took a 1-point lead to the intermission.
And in a way, Tyrese Haliburton himself has a big role in the successful first half for Indiana.
Before his injury, Haliburton knocked down a trio of 3-pointers, scoring 9 points in just seven minutes played – tied for second most points for Indiana in the first half.
His 9 points were already more than he mustered in Indiana’s Game 5 loss where he strained his right calf – the injury that precipitated his Achilles injury Sunday night.
