4 things Thunder must do to win 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 over Pacers
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana will square off in the highest of stakes on Sunday. The 2025 NBA Finals will conclude with a Game 7. The championship series has seen both teams exchange punches to the point that the series is tied at 3-3 apiece.
The Thunder enter as favorites, but a Game 7 includes all kinds of wackiness. Especially at this stage. This will be the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016. The home teams are 15-4, but the margin of victory has been less than seven points.
If the Thunder want to complete one of the greatest seasons ever, here are four things they must do to bring home the NBA championship:
SGA cements spot as all-time great
Gilgeous-Alexander understands the stake. Before Game 6 even ended, he rallied the troops and said Game 7 will be for all the marbles. This is the peak of pressure basketball. Game 7 is do-or-die, now multiply that tenfold with a championship on the line.
Now add an extra layer of pressure on the Thunder. They had one of the greatest seasons ever. A 68-win campaign is a franchise best. A plus-12.9 point differential is the best ever. They cruised through the Western Conference in the playoffs. All will be for knot if they can't bring home the trophy.
The Thunder entered the NBA Finals as a heavy favorite. If the Pacers pull it off, it'll be one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander will headline the result, for better or worse.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been dominant against the Pacers, but not in a truly otherworldly manner. He's averaged 30.5 points on 47.3% shooting. He'll have one last chance to go off and cement his spot as one of the best players ever.
Go back to steal-and-scores
To keep their championship hopes alive, the Pacers out-OKC'd the Thunder in Game 6. They blitz them in the halfcourt. The offense bogged down. The Thunder's ball security fell apart with plenty of avoidable turnovers caused by second-guessing themselves.
Now it's the Thunder's turn to do the same. They had one of the best defenses ever by creating turnovers. That helped them end most games with more shot attempts. The math eventually overwhelms their opponent. Back home, OKC must win the turnover battle. It did in Game 5.
If the Thunder can punch the ball out of the Pacers' hands and run out for fastbreak buckets, it could lead to one last avalanche run to knock out Indiana. The Thunder are due for one of those types of games. Closeout wins over the Nuggets and Timberwolves were examples of that.
Williams, Holmgren step up
The Thunder are at a fork in the road. Either they win and everybody views Williams and Holmgren as franchise cornerstones. That should be the case either way, but an NBA Finals Game 7 loss will cause strong reactionary responses. If they lose, folks might look at upgrading their roster.
The best way to shut doubters up is if Williams and Holmgren contribute to a Game 7 win. Williams is one efficient 25-point performance away from a serious case for NBA Finals MVP. Holmgren can only play better after being a no-show in Game 6.
The Thunder will need their star trio to win Game 7. If they can pull it off, they'll forever be remembered in OKC history and could be the first championship of multiple, considering their title window.
Keep foot on gas
You can't let the Pacers hang around. The Thunder learned that the hard way in Game 1 with Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner. They've played catch-up the rest of the NBA Finals since that shocker. The Thunder are almost out of trouble but need one more win to forgive them for that stunner.
With the OKC crowd giving them extra adrenaline, the Thunder have played like a win machine at home in the playoffs. They're 10-2 and have won with mostly blowouts. The complete opposite of their mediocre 5-5 playoff record on the road.
The game's vibes must reflect the scoreboard. Too many times in this series when the Thunder have dominated the Pacers on the court, but the score didn't show that. They can't let that happen again. Especially if they get off to a hot start.
If the Thunder can keep up with their home trends, they should get a Game 7 win. If they can get up by double-digit points, the Pacers could feel the pressure and fall apart.
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