About 10 to 15 minutes after Game 6 of the NBA Finals wrapped up, both the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder had already moved on mentally. What had just unfolded in Indianapolis no longer mattered.
Their focus was entirely on Game 7.
“It’s a privilege,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
“A great privilege,” echoed Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
The finals have been a back-and-forth battle — Indiana led early in the series and after Game 3, but Oklahoma City took control by winning Games 4, 5, and 6. Now, the championship will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday night — the first such final since 2016. One team will lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy; the other will face the offseason wondering what slipped away.
Thunder guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander summed it up: “We have one game for everything, for everything we’ve worked for, and so do they. The better team Sunday will win.”
Historically, home teams hold an advantage in Game 7s, winning 15 of the past 19 NBA Finals deciding games. This season, the Thunder won a Game 7 at home during the playoffs with a dominating 32-point victory over Denver to reach the Western Conference Finals. The Pacers’ last Game 7 was a commanding 21-point win over the New York Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals, held at Madison Square Garden.
Overall, home teams have an all-time record of 112-38 in Game 7s — not counting the neutral-site bubble games in 2020. However, recent years have seen more road teams prevail, with visitors winning nine of the last 14 Game 7s since 2021.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton expressed his excitement: “It’s so, so exciting. As a basketball fan, there’s nothing like a Game 7 — especially in the NBA Finals. I’ve dreamed of this my whole life, so being here is really special for our team. What happened before doesn’t matter. It’s all about one game and how we approach it.”
Haliburton’s presence in the Finals is remarkable considering he’s been managing a strained right calf. Despite the injury, he looked strong in Game 6, supported by constant treatment and reminders from his family to keep up his recovery.
“My family has been on me,” he said. “If they call, it’s always to check if I’m doing treatment. They hold me accountable.”
The Thunder are also feeling the weight of accountability, though of a different nature. They entered Game 6 as heavy favorites — with +3000 odds to clinch the championship — meaning a $100 bet on them would have paid just $103 if they had closed it out then. But Indiana’s dominant 36-9 run flipped the game, turning a slight Thunder lead into a blowout by early in the third quarter. Now Oklahoma City’s stellar regular season record means nothing without winning this last game.
“If they had won by one, they probably would have left this game feeling confident,” said Thunder guard Jalen Williams. “That’s what makes them a great team, and that’s what makes us a great team. Both sides will enter Game 7 with confidence.”
After Thursday’s game, the Thunder returned home, while the Pacers traveled to Oklahoma City on Friday. Both teams will review game footage and run through light practices Saturday — more like walk-throughs — before the decisive Game 7.
“It feels like we played to exhaustion,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said after Game 6. “But we have to do it all again on Sunday.”
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