After years of rebuilding and heartbreak, the Oklahoma City Thunder have finally climbed to the summit of the basketball world, defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 to win the franchise’s first NBA title since relocating to Oklahoma in 2008.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the heart and soul of this young Thunder team, delivered yet again with 29 points, sealing a season for the ages.
The NBA MVP added Finals MVP to his historic resume, becoming the first player ever to win the scoring title, regular season MVP, Finals MVP, and multiple Game 7s in a single campaign. His 3,172 total points this season were the highest in a single year since Michael Jordan.
“This is everything we’ve worked for,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We believed, we stayed together, and now we’ve brought a championship to Oklahoma City.”
The Thunder trailed by one at halftime but erupted in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 and never looking back. The lead stretched to 22 points in the fourth as the Paycom Center roared in anticipation of history.
Jalen Williams added 20 points, while rookie Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. Holmgren became the youngest player since Tim Duncan to notch double-digit blocks in a Finals series.
The Pacers, chasing their first NBA crown, suffered a devastating blow when star guard Tyrese Haliburton exited in the first quarter with what the team called a “lower right leg injury.”
Reports suggest a possible Achilles tear. Despite leading at halftime and a brief third-quarter burst led by T.J. McConnell, the Pacers couldn’t keep up.
This is Oklahoma City’s first championship since the franchise’s Seattle SuperSonics era in 1979.
It’s a crowning moment for a city that has fully embraced its team and waited over a decade to reach the top.
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