Thunder win 2024-2025 NBA Finals, first NBA Championship in Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Oklahoma City Thunder have defeated the Indiana Pacers,
103-91, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, taking the series 4-3, and are now the 2024-2025 NBA Finals Champions, the team's first NBA Championship since relocating to Oklahoma City.
Let's date back to the heartbreaking 2012 NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Miami Heat, where the sting of that series loss is a little less now after winning the Finals Sunday night.
2012: OKC's 'Young Big Three' versus Miami's 'Big Three'
In the best-of-seven series, Miami's 'Big Three', which consisted of 28-year-old LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and a 30-year-old Dwyane Wade, went against Oklahoma City's 'Young Big Three' in 23-year-old Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and a 22-year-old James Harden.
The Heat, with their 'Big Three,' were entering their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, while the Thunder were making their first NBA Finals appearance since the relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. Both teams placed second in their respective conferences; the Thunder finished the season 47-19, while the Heat finished 46-20.
The young Thunder squad dethroned the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in a 4-0 first-round sweep, which then led to a 4-1 series win in Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder then met the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, where they would go on to win that series, 4-2, landing them in the 2011-2012 NBA Finals.
The 'Big Three' Heat knocked out the New York Knicks in their Eastern Conference First Round matchup, 4-1, before going on to face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, taking that series 4-2. The Heat would face a tough Eastern Conference Finals opponent in the Boston Celtics, who gave them a run for their money. Still, the Heat would eventually come out on top, taking that series 4-3 to set up an Oklahoma City Thunder-Miami Heat NBA Finals.
The series started out promising for the Thunder, taking Game 1 against the Heat 105-94, but only after that game is where the heartbreak for both the young Thunder squad and Thunder fans would take place. The Heat would go on to win the next four against the Thunder, taking the series 4-1 to win the 2011-2012 NBA Finals.
Following that NBA Finals series loss, the Thunder would continue to make playoff appearances in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024, attempting to reach another NBA Finals, but falling short of reaching that glory again, up until 2025. The Thunder's return to rewrite their past, with another young squad.
2025: Another young Thunder squad's path to the NBA Finals
The Thunder entered the 2024-2025 NBA Playoffs as the best team in the league and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 68-14.
Facing the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, the Thunder would dominate that series 4-0, before a matchup with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, which would prove to be more problematic for the young team, going to a series-deciding Game 7. The Thunder would ultimately take the series at home, beating the Nuggets, 125-93.
Moving on to the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who bounced teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) and the Golden State Warriors (4-1) out of the playoffs, before their matchup in the WCF against the Thunder.
The Thunder would start the series off just as they did in the first round, in dominating fashion. At home, the Thunder would start off hot, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Timberwolves, winning Game 1, 114-88, and Game 2, 118-103.
Following Game 2, the Thunder would travel to Minnesota, where they would suffer their first loss of the series, losing to the Timberwolves 143-101, their biggest loss in this year's playoffs. However, that would only fuel them for the remainder of the series. The Thunder would take Game 4 from the Timberwolves, 128-126, before heading back home to Oklahoma City to cap off the series by defeating the Timberwolves 124-94, cementing themselves in the NBA Finals, once again.
NBA Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers
In an NBA Finals matchup that didn't draw much attention from fans of other teams around the league, it sure has been a pivotal battle, leading up to a Game 6.
In Game 1, in Oklahoma City, the Thunder were heading into the fourth quarter with a nine-point, 85-76, lead and very much in the driver's seat of taking a 1-0 series lead, until the Pacers battled back. Fast-forwarding to less than a minute in the fourth quarter, the Thunder were ahead 110-109. Pacers own Haliburton would sink a two-point shot to take a 111-110 lead with just 0.3 seconds remaining on the game clock, which ultimately gave the Pacers a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
The Thunder would bring the electricity in Game 2 against the Pacers, and didn't hold back. Led by the league's Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and his 34-point game, the Thunder would tie the series up 1-1, with a 123-107 win, before traveling to Indiana for Game 3, where they would lose that one, 116-107, and fall behind again in the series, 1-2.
That would only bring these two teams in a win-or-go-home Game 6 matchup.
The Thunder went into Game 4 knowing they had to win at least one game in Indiana, otherwise they would see themselves down three games to one before traveling back to Oklahoma City, and the Pacers weren't going to make it easy for them.
A back-and-forth game all the way until the last two to three minutes of the fourth quarter, where the Thunder would take a 104-103 lead, which would ultimately seal the deal for the Thunder to tie the series 2-2, with a 111-104 win in Game 4.
The Thunder would now travel back to Oklahoma City with the series all tied up, looking to take the lead.
However, Game 5 had a hint of Game 1 to it: A big lead, at home, in Oklahoma City, that dwindled heading into the fourth quarter.
Hanging on to an 87-79 lead at the start of the final quarter, the Thunder knew they couldn't let the same fate as Game 1 happen again. The Thunder's lead was cut close, ahead 95-93 with around eight minutes left.
The Thunder went on a 21-8 run late in the quarter, leading as much as 113-97 with five minutes remaining, and were all gas, no brakes for the remainder of the game, winning 120-109 to take a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6, in Indiana, with a chance to crush the hopes and dreams of Pacers fans and win their first NBA Championship since relocating to Oklahoma City, the Thunder lost 108-91, forcing the series to a deciding Game 7 in the Finals.
Moving onto Game 7, a game where legends are truly made, where players etch themselves into the history books, win or lose, but both of these teams, as hungry as they are, wouldn’t settle for anything less than winning their first NBA championship.
Game 7s in the NBA Finals don’t come by too often. In fact, this game marked the 20th Game 7 in NBA history, with the last one coming in 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89 to win their first NBA championship.
Unable to finish the job in Game 6, the Thunder flew back home to Oklahoma City in preparation for one of the biggest games of their lives. A more favorable matchup for them, with Loud City ready to lose their voices by getting as loud as they could ever be.
In a game that started as a close contest, the Thunder finished off the first quarter with a three-point lead, 25-22. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who was battling a leg injury going into Game 6 of the NBA Finals, exited Game 7 early and would not return for the remainder of the game. However, that wouldn't dampen the Pacers' hopes as they continued to keep the game close, heading into halftime with a 48-47 lead over the Thunder. Siakam finished the first half with 10 points, and Nembhard with 9 points for the Pacers, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished the half with 16 points and 7 assists.
However, the third quarter is where the Thunder would open things up. After a terrible start from the three-point line, the team would find its groove with a few three-point connections from Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Holmgren, Wallace, and Jalen Williams, and a strong defensive performance to close out the third quarter with a 13-point lead, 81-68.
The Thunder would keep their foot on the gas and the pressure going throughout the fourth quarter. Holmgren found himself holding down the paint with 5 blocks to finish the game, along with 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 18 points. League MVP Gilgeous-Alexander proved why he was the most valuable player all season long, finishing the game with 29 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, while Jalen Williams finished the game with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. The Thunder went on to beat the Pacers in Game 7, 103-91, to win their first NBA championship in Thunder history.