The Oklahoma City Thunder’s youthful energy was on full display Sunday night – both on the court and in the locker room – as they celebrated a 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 to capture the NBA championship.
Their inexperience extended even to the champagne.
“No one knew how to open them,” center Isaiah Hartenstein said with a laugh, recalling the team’s postgame confusion with the celebratory bottles.
Enter 31-year-old Alex Caruso – the team’s oldest player and the only one with prior championship experience – who stepped in to assist.
“AC did a great job of giving us a tutorial,” Hartenstein said.
The title is the franchise’s first since relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season and its first overall since winning in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
Though their youth showed in stretches – even during Game 7 – the Thunder’s relentless defense and timely execution proved decisive.
Oklahoma City wore down Indiana with suffocating pressure and big plays from multiple contributors, led by star duo Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s Most Valuable Player and newly crowned Finals MVP, capped off a dominant postseason with 29 points, 12 assists, and just one turnover. Williams added 20 points, and the pair connected on the night’s signature moment.
Late in the third quarter, with the Thunder beginning to pull away, Gilgeous-Alexander drove into the lane and spun past his defender, drawing a roar from the home crowd. But instead of going up for a shot, he kicked it out to Williams in the corner. Williams launched a 3-pointer that bounced high off the rim before dropping in, sparking a frenzy and stretching the Thunder’s lead to nine.
That triple was part of a back-to-back-to-back 3-point barrage, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, who finished with 18 points, sinking the other two.
The Thunder closed the third quarter on a 25-12 run, taking control of the game and eventually building a lead as large as 22. The Pacers made a late push in the fourth to trim the deficit to 10 but got no closer.
“The whole run I’ve tried to help the guys just be who we are, and that’s all we needed – to be who we are,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Oklahoma City didn’t commit a turnover in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 34-20 in the period. Williams scored nine points in the frame, including the key 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a lead they would not relinquish.
The Thunder capitalized on Indiana’s mistakes, scoring 18 points off eight third-quarter turnovers and winning the overall turnover battle 23-8.
“The game just came down to winning coverages and winning closeouts,” said Caruso, who recorded three steals – one of three Thunder players to do so.
The Pacers, still seeking their first NBA title, were dealt a major blow in the first quarter when star point guard Tyrese Haliburton exited with a right leg injury. He had opened the game hot, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring nine points in the first five minutes.
But minutes later, Haliburton collapsed to the court while driving beyond the arc and screamed in pain. The ball popped free to Caruso, who passed to Gilgeous-Alexander, who found Williams streaking for a dunk while Haliburton remained on the floor with a non-contact injury.
He was helped off the court without putting weight on his right leg. Haliburton, who had been playing through a right calf strain suffered in Game 5, did not return. ABC later reported he had suffered a torn Achilles.
“What happened with Tyrese is...” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said before pausing. “All of our hearts dropped. He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened. But he’ll be back in time.”
Despite Haliburton’s absence, the Pacers hung tough. They led by one at halftime and tied the game at 56 in the third before the Thunder pulled away.
Guard T.J. McConnell kept Indiana afloat, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter and hitting six of the Pacers’ eight field goals in the period. Bennedict Mathurin led the team with 24 points off the bench.
The Thunder became the first team to score 100 or more points in an NBA Finals Game 7 since 1988, when the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Detroit Pistons 108-105.
Caruso, a 2020 champion with the Lakers, hopes this year’s celebration is just the beginning.
“We’ll get some rest, try to do it again next year,” he said with a smile. “We’ll be better at it next year.”
