The stage is set for an electrifying finish to the 2025 NBA Finals as the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 Sunday night in Oklahoma City.
For the Thunder, this is a shot at their first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008. The franchise’s only title came back in 1979. Meanwhile, the Pacers are chasing their first NBA crown, having previously secured three ABA titles—the last in 1973.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams admitted the intensity of a Game 7 is unmatched: “It makes the hair on your arm stand up.” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called the occasion “a time to celebrate,” emphasizing how rare and special these moments are.
This marks the 20th NBA Finals Game 7 in history and the first since the Cavaliers stunned the Warriors in 2016.
Indiana heads into the game with momentum, riding high from a dominant 108–91 victory in Game 6. Despite nursing a calf strain, Tyrese Haliburton was instrumental in that win, finishing with 14 points and five assists in just 23 minutes. He confirmed he’s ready to go for Sunday’s finale.
Oklahoma City, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been tough to beat at home (10–2 in the postseason), and hasn’t lost back-to-back games during this playoff run. However, Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off his worst playoff performance, with eight turnovers in Game 6.
For OKC, this will be their second Game 7 of the postseason, having crushed Denver 125–93 in the second round. For Indiana, it’s their first Game 7 this year—but they won a critical one last season against the Knicks.
As Carlisle puts it, “We’re just down to one game and one opportunity.”