Some Thoughts on Watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and Oklahoma City Thunder Are Now Champions

June 23rd, 2025

by Alan Lu

It’s been a long time since there was a Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It was a special event to see such a game played, although it was extremely unfortunate and heartbreaking that Indiana Pacers’ All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter and was unable to play the rest of the game. Tonight was interesting. It felt like a celebration of basketball. And while the outcome may have not been desired for some, but it’s a rarity in professional sports to see a winner-take-all event come down to a pivotal Game 7, with the championship on the line, and with both teams entering having won three games apiece.

For the Game 7 that was just played, I was hoping for a very competitive, and well-played game, and this game certainly seemed headed to be a classic, up until the unfortunate moment where Haliburton suffered a heartbreaking leg injury late in the first quarter. From there, the Indiana Pacers were almost certainly doomed to be fighting an impossible, uphill battle without their best player, as the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up being too much for them. It was very close in the first half, and the Pacers played hard and they managed to get some very solid minutes from Pascal Siakam, Benedict Mathurin, and TJ McConnell. However, the Pacers couldn’t muster up enough offense in the second half, and the tandem of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, combined with the Thunder’s stifling defense led by Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren, and strong talent and depth ended up taking over the rest of the way.

In the end, the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up becoming the 2025 NBA champions. They are a well-built team with young stars and comprise of a deep team from top to bottom, Sam Presti is an elite NBA executive, Mark Daigneault has proven to be a very head coach in this league, and the Thunder were able to win the title. It was a tough way for Haliburton and the Pacers to go out, but they fought to the end.

It’s been nine years since there was a Game 7 prior to the game that was just played. It’s great that there is parity, that there is such competitiveness amongst NBA teams. But I also think that the NBA needs to do more to try to keep players healthy. Injuries are a part of the game, and sometimes they may happen even when it’s least expected, but I feel like maybe the league needs to urge teams to take more precautions so that injuries don’t happen. And lastly, the Oklahoma City Thunder will get to celebrate their first NBA championship, but for some, it will be a painful reminder of what could have been, as for Indiana Pacers’ fans, one could only wonder how Game 7 would’ve went if injuries did not happen, and for Seattleites, the Seattle SuperSonics were a longtime NBA franchise (and won the 1979 NBA championship) before their team moved away to Oklahoma City at the end of the 2008 season.

Anyways, it was an interesting event to see Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. It was a solid NBA season, even if the playoffs may have turned out rather unexpectedly. Thank you for a great season, and thanks for reading.