The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder spent years constructing as much as this second. On Sunday evening, it lastly turned a actuality. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 factors and added 12 assists. His efficiency helped the Thunder draw back within the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, in Sport 7 of the NBA Finals, securing the franchise’s first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008.
The win capped a season that noticed Oklahoma Metropolis end with 84 whole victories — tying the 1996–97 Chicago Bulls for the third-most in NBA historical past — and confirmed the Thunder as a rising drive constructed by way of endurance, growth, and tradition. Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s Most Precious Participant, was named Finals MVP to finish a historic particular person marketing campaign.
“It doesn’t really feel actual,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “So many hours. So many moments. So many feelings. So many nights of disbelief. So many nights of perception. It’s loopy to know that we’re all right here, however this group labored for it. This group put within the hours, and we deserve this.”
Thunder Take Management in Second HalfThe Thunder entered Sport 7 dealing with a Pacers group that had pushed them to the brink with well timed taking pictures and fast-paced offense all through the collection. Indiana led 48–47 at halftime regardless of shedding All-Star level guard Tyrese Haliburton early within the first quarter to an Achilles damage. However the sport shifted shortly after the break.
Oklahoma Metropolis outscored Indiana, 34–20, within the third quarter and by no means trailed once more. The Thunder’s protection ramped up their depth, capitalizing on Indiana’s lack of a main ball handler and producing transition alternatives that broke the sport open. Gilgeous-Alexander managed the tempo, Jalen Williams added 20 factors and 4 assists, and Chet Holmgren delivered a standout efficiency with 18 factors, eight rebounds, and 5 blocks — probably the most ever in a Finals Sport 7.
“When you’ve gotten an additional guard on the market who can climb up into the ball and canopy floor, it lets us flip up the warmth,” Holmgren stated. “It’s all about tradeoffs. We gave up slightly dimension, however we made it robust for them to run something.”
Regardless of some offensive struggles towards the Pacers at instances, Holmgren was a significant determine all through the season for Oklahoma Metropolis, anchoring their inside protection and serving as an efficient inside play finisher with additional upside.
“There have been a whole lot of nights the place I used to be on the market on will energy and anti-inflammatories,” Holmgren stated. “I’m simply so completely satisfied I didn’t stop and we made it.”
Tradition Over All the piecesWhat separated this Thunder group wasn’t simply youth or expertise; it was cohesion. Head coach Mark Daigneault, who guided the group from the lottery to the highest of the league in 5 years, was persistently praised by gamers for his poise and emotional management all through the postseason.
“They behave like champions. They compete like champions,” Daigneault stated. “They root for one another’s success, which is uncommon in skilled sports activities. I’ve stated it many instances and now I’m going to say it another time: they’re an unusual group — and now they’re champions.”
The bond inside the locker room was evident. Isaiah Hartenstein, a veteran who joined the group in free company final summer season, credited Daigneault for fostering a real assist system.
“He actually cares about us as folks, not simply gamers,” Hartenstein stated. “After we deliver our youngsters round, he’s the primary one to play with them. For those who’ve bought issues off the court docket, he’s the primary to hear.”
The postgame celebration mirrored their youth and inexperience with this stage. Gamers fumbled with goggles, bottles sprayed prematurely, and laughter echoed by way of the locker room as the truth of a title sunk in.
“None of us knew pop champagne,” Hartenstein stated, laughing. “We have been asking AC [Alex Caruso] for a tutorial. It wasn’t in sync, however we figured it out.”
For Luguentz Dort — who went undrafted in 2019 and have become a mainstay in Oklahoma Metropolis’s rotation by way of effort and protection — the second was private.
“I used to be born in Canada, however my dad and mom immigrated from Haiti,” Dort stated. “Haiti has been by way of lots. I’m completely satisfied to be a Haitian right here on the greatest stage, being a champion now.”
Williams, who added 20 factors within the clincher, stated the feelings hit laborious when the buzzer sounded.
“I seemed up, and my mother was crying within the stands,” he stated. “That made me tear up slightly bit. It type of simply hit me — all the things we labored for. All of the sacrifices, all of the hours. To share it with your loved ones? That’s what it’s all about.”
Insane shot from Bob Mills SkyNews 9 as OKC celebrates the Thunder profitable the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/swCtVdbeAq
— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) June 23, 2025
A Banner for Oklahoma MetropolisOklahoma Metropolis now joins the listing of NBA champions, not simply with a title, however with a basis that seems constructed to final. The Thunder turned the seventh totally different franchise to win a championship within the final seven seasons, a run of parity not like any in league historical past.
However this title felt extra like a begin than a end result.
The franchise’s solely different championship got here in 1979 because the Seattle SuperSonics. There isn’t any banner for that title in Oklahoma. This fall, for the primary time, one will dangle — earned by a brand new period of Thunder basketball.
Normal supervisor Sam Presti’s long-term imaginative and prescient, constructed by way of the draft and inside growth, was validated in full. Gilgeous-Alexander, acquired within the 2019 Paul George commerce, has blossomed right into a celebrity in his sixth season with the Thunder. Holmgren and Williams stepped up as co-stars—the remainder of the roster crammed in round them with self-discipline and function.
Gilgeous-Alexander recalled the message Presti shared with the group after Holmgren’s damage in 2022.
“He got here into the room and stated, ‘Our future is what we make it,’” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “That caught with me. We will do no matter we wish to do.”
Now, they’ve completed it — and Oklahoma Metropolis lastly has a championship to name its personal.
“It is a big second for everyone right here — town, the followers, Clay [Bennett], Sam [Presti], Coach Mark, all of the gamers, the workers,” Holmgren stated. “I’m simply so completely satisfied we get to share it collectively.”
