Oklahoma City – The Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 NBA Championship was taken home thanks for the first-103-91 victory in 17 years of Franchisee Indiana Pacers On Sunday, there was a historically major year and a notable change in Game 7 of the NBA final.
Thunder went out of winning 22 and 24 games in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, which claimed the top position in the Western Conference Playoffs in each of the last two sessions. He followed the 56-victory campaign in the last season with a 68-win season this year-one of the seven best single-season marks in the history of NBA. He also set a record for the biggest point difference of all time in the regular season, which hit the previous mark which stood for more than half a century.
Oklahoma City eventually won 84 games between regular sessions and playoffs, binding 1996-97 Chicago Bulls For the third in any season. Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more.
Despite the achievement of the thunder, Game 7 can be remembered the most for an unfortunate reason as pacers superstar Tieres haliburton The confirmation of his father was a left Achills injury, while trying to drive in the basket with 4:55 in the first quarter. He would be forbidden to go out with a lower right leg injury for the rest of the game after a short time – at the point that was, to take a breathtaking postsen to a heart -wrenching conclusion.
Pamens took a lead of 48–47 immediately after the devastating injury. However, when Oklahoma City – behind the spectacular stretch of playing with the most valuable player of the league, Shay Gilgius-Alexander -One of the third quarters had dropped one of the third quarters from 34-20 in 12 minutes, which was to take a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, which the thunder would never sacrifice.
This is not a pacemen playoff game, however, sweating her opponent without Indiana with a possible return. They eventually found that 22 points had reduced by 10. Andrew Nebhard3-pointer with only two minutes left. But unlike Indiana’s magical return in these playoffs, Oklahoma City hung and survived.
“It doesn’t look real,” Gilgus-Alexander said after the game. “So many hours. So many moments. So many feelings. So many nights of mistrust. So many nights believed. We are crazy to know that we are all here, but this group worked for it. This group put in hours and we deserve it.”
The championship team’s general manager Sam Prest has a culmination of the vision, which is in charge since the final year of the franchise in Seattle in 2007-08. Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, only the most regular season win in Thunder, only behind Boston CelticsAnd the fifth most postson win.
However, by this year, the final award – a championship – had removed the Thunder. And, after the near lapse when they lost in the NBA final Miami Heat In the five matches in 2012, and then in the final of the Western Conference in both 2014 and 2016, it was not clear that it would ever be for one of the NBA’s smallest-jawar teams.
The irony is that it did it on the same day Kevin DuuntThe founding member of that first Championship-Caliber Thunder Squad was traded Houston RocketsPossibly he was the biggest threat to Oklahoma City to get out of the Western Conference Playoffs again in the next season.
But left Durant in 2016, it would not be until 2019 that the first era of Thunder Basketball was officially closed when Presti was sent out Russell Westbrook And Paul George By receiving the Gilgus-Alexander in the deal especially in a circular chain of foundations laying the foundation for this current roster, and by the extension. Qui leonardtill La clippers that summer.
And, a few weeks later, Presty wrote a letter in Oklahomon, a local Oklahoma City newspaper, where the franchise will be led in the coming years.
“In saying goodbye to the past, we have started charting our future,” Presti then wrote. “The next Great Thunder Team is somewhere outside, but it will take time to seize and eventually there will be discipline to maintain.”
It was discovered that it did not take much time. Had to arrive with Gilgus-Alexander in 2019 Luguintz dortAn unpublished free agent has developed in an first-team all-defense selection. In 2022, Oklahoma City landed its other two long -term basic pieces, Chet holmagrainWho went to second place outside Gonjaga, and Jalen WilliamsWhich was the 12th overall pick from Santa Clara.
Both played a large role in OKC’s playoff run. Williams, who struggled several times in these playoffs, had a brilliant series in the final, including a career-high 40 points in Game 5. Holmagraine-who missed more than half of the regular season with hip injury-did not shoot the ball well in the finals, but impressed the game in other ways.
And with both, there is a possibility of signing a long-term contract extension in the coming weeks, as well as with the Gilgas-Alexander, who is eligible for a large scale one-it can only be the beginning for a thunder team, which is only two players at the age of 27 and now only the second largest champion in NBABE history in 1977. Portland Trail Blazers,
“They behave like a champion. They compete like the champion,” Daigneault said. “They are root for each other’s success, which is rare in professional sports. I have said it many times and now I am going to say it once more. They are an unusual team and now they are champions.”
OKC’s victory continues an unprecedented run in NBA. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a thunder ninth franchise to win a title in 12 sessions. His predecessor, David Stern, won eight franchisees as a commissioner in his 30 sessions.
Meanwhile, Gilgas-Alexander closed its historic season with 29 points and 12 to hit a rare superfacta for 12 aid: regular season MVP, Final MVP, NBA Champion and Scoring Champion. By doing all those things, a variety of shortlists were put on Gilgas-Alexander, one of them became the first player to win the MVP award of the league and a championship in the same season. Stephen Curry With 2014-15 Golden State Warriors,
That year, Curry won his first championship with a young, sudden ascending Warriors team, which would proceed to perform in six finals in an interval of 8 years, and the NBA had a total of four championships as part of the final dynastic team.
Time will tell if it will start a similar run for this Thunder team. But to do that kind of run, it must start with a championship.
And, after 17 years, Oklahoma City may finally say that it is the first.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
