Thunder beat Pacers to clinch NBA Finals crown
"It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief," Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking "It's crazy to know that we're all here.
"But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this."
Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honors to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters
Jalen Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and five of the Thunder's eight blocked shots.
A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s — remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBA-ABA merger.
HALIBURTON INJURED
Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points — all on three-pointers — when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment.
Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head.
In his absence, the Pacers dug in. Down by three after the first quarter, they took a 43-42 lead on a three-pointer by Bennedict Mathurin with 2:02 left in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City would take the lead again before Andrew Nembhard drilled a step-back three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to put the Pacers up 48-47 at halftime.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters
The first half featured 10 lead changes, both teams coming out with determination on the defensive end with everything at stake.
The three-point shot was an early difference-maker for the Pacers, who connected on eight of 16 from beyond the arc in the first half, but had just three after the break.
The Thunder struggled early from long range, but Gilgeous-Alexander made his first three-pointer of the night with 8:16 left in the third, Holmgren followed with a trey and Jalen Williams added another — the quick 9-0 run giving Oklahoma City a 65-56 lead that set the stage for the rest of the game.
"We had 24 minutes to go get it — we had 24 minutes to finish our season," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's mindset coming out for the third.
"It was either gonna be bad or it was going to be pretty. We did everything we could."
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T J McConnell added 16 points apiece and Andrew Nembhard scored 15.
But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
02-07-2025
- Observer
Gilgeous-Alexander agrees $285 m extension: reports
LOS ANGELES, United States: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed a four-year $285 million contract extension, the richest per-year contract in NBA history, US media reports said on Tuesday. Gilgeous-Alexander, who guided the Thunder to the NBA championship last month after a campaign that saw him win regular season and finals Most Valuable Player awards, is now tied to the club through 2031. The 26-year-old Canadian point guard has two years remaining on his existing contract with Oklahoma City worth $79.1 million (67.2 million euros). The four additional seasons of his contract extension will see him receive $62.5 million, $68.6 million, $73.7 million and then $78.7 million in 2030-2031. The deal gives Gilgeous-Alexander the highest annual salary in the NBA, eclipsing the average $64.3 million salary of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and the $62.8 million earned by the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum. Gilgeous-Alexander was the fulcrum of the Thunder's dazzling 68-win Western Conference season, before inspiring the team to a 4-3 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers last month. The Thunder ace averaged a league-high 32.7 points during the regular season and 30.3 points in the NBA Finals on his way to completing his MVP double. He became only the fourth player in history to win both NBA regular season and finals MVP awards as well as the league's scoring title, putting him into an exclusive club alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. News of Gilgeous-Alexander's contract extension came as the NBA's free agency window cranked into top gear after the opening of the window on Monday. In other significant early moves reported on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks have waived all-star guard Damian Lillard after two seasons. Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the opening round of the playoffs and faces a lengthy recovery that is expected to sideline him for most if not all of next season. The Bucks meanwhile have moved to beef up their starting line-up with the acquisition of Indiana center Myles Turner, a key part of the Pacers run to last month's NBA Finals. Turner has reportedly agreed to a four-year $107 million deal with the club which will see him form a formidable partnership alongside the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN. The Denver Nuggets meanwhile have brought in Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings in trade for Dario Saric. — AFP
Observer
30-06-2025
- Observer
James opts in with Lakers for next NBA season
LOS ANGELES, United States: LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers next season, hoping to challenge for his fifth NBA title, according to multiple reports on Sunday. ESPN and The Athletic reported James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) who turns 41 in December, will be watching the Lakers' off-season roster moves as he prepares for a record-setting 23rd NBA campaign. "LeBron wants to compete for a championship," James's agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. "We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him." James, the NBA's all-time scoring leader, has not said whether he sees the 2025-26 NBA season as possibly his last or whether he plans to play longer. He would surpass the mark he shares with Vince Carter for the most career NBA seasons and needs only 50 more contests to break the all-time NBA record for most regular-season games played — 1,611 set by Robert Parish from 1976-1997. James this past week posted a social media video of his first workout since suffering a left knee injury in a playoff loss to Minnesota. James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game for the Lakers last season. He has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.4 assists and 7.5 rebounds. The forward's legacy includes 21 NBA All-Star selections as well as NBA crowns with Miami in 2012 and 2013, Cleveland in 2016 and the Lakers in 2020. — AFP
Observer
23-06-2025
- Observer
Thunder beat Pacers to clinch NBA Finals crown
OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the injury-hit Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists and the Thunder's swarming defense finally proved to much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth. "It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief," Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking "It's crazy to know that we're all here. "But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this." Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honors to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters Jalen Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and five of the Thunder's eight blocked shots. A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s — remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBA-ABA merger. HALIBURTON INJURED Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points — all on three-pointers — when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment. Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head. In his absence, the Pacers dug in. Down by three after the first quarter, they took a 43-42 lead on a three-pointer by Bennedict Mathurin with 2:02 left in the second quarter. Oklahoma City would take the lead again before Andrew Nembhard drilled a step-back three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to put the Pacers up 48-47 at halftime. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters The first half featured 10 lead changes, both teams coming out with determination on the defensive end with everything at stake. The three-point shot was an early difference-maker for the Pacers, who connected on eight of 16 from beyond the arc in the first half, but had just three after the break. The Thunder struggled early from long range, but Gilgeous-Alexander made his first three-pointer of the night with 8:16 left in the third, Holmgren followed with a trey and Jalen Williams added another — the quick 9-0 run giving Oklahoma City a 65-56 lead that set the stage for the rest of the game. "We had 24 minutes to go get it — we had 24 minutes to finish our season," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's mindset coming out for the third. "It was either gonna be bad or it was going to be pretty. We did everything we could." Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T J McConnell added 16 points apiece and Andrew Nembhard scored 15. But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short. — AFP
