The Oklahoma City Thunder are now authors of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history after narrowly avoiding a stunning upset with the opponent’s best player first hobbled then seriously injured.
The Oklahoma City Thunder grabbed the NBA Championship 2025 after defeating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 this Sunday at Paycom Center. This marked the franchise’s second championship trophy – and the first since it rebranded from the SuperSonics to the Thunder as it moved to Oklahoma City back in 2008. This success was led by the Thunder’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Jalen Williams, as they beat the Pacers 103 – 91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. 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.