Oklahoma is now the home of a major professional sports championship for the first time in state history. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and win the best of seven series four games to three.
For the Thunder, it’s their first title since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Seattle Supersonics won the 1979 NBA Championship. Indiana was hoping to win its first NBA championship, though the Pacers won three titles in the former ABA, the most recent of which came in 1973.
This was the 20th time in league history that the NBA Finals went to Game 7, and the first since the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors on the road in 2016.
The biggest storyline of the game was the Pacers losing their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, early in the game. With 4:55 left in the first quarter, Haliburton pushed off with his right foot as he was starting his dribble and immediately went face down on the floor, in a lot of pain, and slapping his hand on the court while yelling “No, no, no.” It was confirmed later that it was an Achilles injury.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the first two quarters. Oklahoma City led after the first quarter, 25-22.
Indiana outscored the Thunder, 26-22 in the second quarter and led at halftime, 48-47. There were 10 lead changes in the first half and the largest lead by either team was five points.
The Thunder began shooting better and got hot in the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run to take a 65-56 lead with 7:13 left in the third quarter. The two teams battled back and forth, as Indiana cut the Thunder lead down to seven, before OKC took their first double-digit lead of the game at 77-66 with 1:56 left in the quarter. The third quarter ended with Oklahoma City leading 81-68, their largest lead of the game to that point.
Oklahoma City continued to be on fire in the fourth quarter extending their lead to 21 points, 89-68, forcing the Pacers to call a timeout with 8:27 left to play. At that point, OKC had gone on a 19-2 run from the 3:53 mark in the third quarter.
The Pacers continued to pressure the Thunder in the fourth quarter and cut Oklahoma City’s lead several times, but in the end the Thunder hung on for the victory.
After the game, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault was asked what makes this team so special?
“They behave like champions, they compete like champions and they root for each other’s success, which is rare in professional sports,” Daigneault said. “I’ve said it many times and I’m going to say it one more time, this is an uncommon team, and now they’re champions.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points in the game and was named the NBA Finals MVP.
“A lot of hard work and a lot of hours in the gym,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “This isn’t just a win for me, it’s a win for my family, it’s a win for my friends, it’s a win for everyone who was in my corner growing up, it’s a win for the fans, the best fans in the world. We love you guys!”
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guest will be one of America’s top inspirational comedians, Nazareth. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.