Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out a career playoff high 12 assists and the Thunder’s swarming defence 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 honours to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship.
The 26-year-old Canadian star becomes the first player since LeBron James in 2012-2013 to win both the NBA regular season MVP and Finals MVP in the same campaign.
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 late, 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.
After the Thunder failed in their first chance to close out the series in game six, Gilgeous-Alexander there was a measure of relief along with the jubilation.
“Feels amazing,” he said. “So much weight off my shoulders, so much stress relieved.
“Wouldn’t want to do it with any other group in the world,” he added. “Feels so good to be a champion.”
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.
The @okcthunder are the 2024-25 NBA Champions! pic.twitter.com/EsPIcjgVFx
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
