Oklahoma City Thunder capped an extraordinary season by defeating Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to win the franchise’s first title since relocating from Seattle in 2008.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring in front of a raucous home crowd at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center with 29 points and 12 assists.
He was also crowned the best player of the Finals, marking the first time since Shaquille O’Neal in 2002 that the same player had won the scoring title, regular season and Finals MVP honours.
The Pacers suffered a huge blow early on when they lost star point guard Tyrese Haliburton midway through the first quarter with an Achilles injury and saw their title hopes dashed by a stifling Oklahoma City defense in the second half.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief, so many nights of belief.
“This group works hard. This group put in the hours and we deserve this,” he added.
The championship capped an extraordinary run for the Thunder, who ended the regular season with a 68-14 record, good for the fifth-most wins in a single NBA season.
The Finals between two small-market teams was light on star power but delivered on thrills, as the surprise Eastern Conference Champions Pacers pushed the best team in the league to the winner-take-all finale.
The Pacers got off on the right track as Haliburton drained his third three-pointer five minutes into the game but the night took a terrible turn for Indiana when he slipped and fell two minutes later.
The two-time All Star was in tears as his team’s medical staff rushed to his side and a hush fell over the building packed with Oklahoma City fans.
Haliburton was helped to the locker room but did not return, and while there was no official update from the team a TV broadcast reported he had suffered an Achilles injury.
The resilient Pacers kept the game tight through a physical second quarter, putting up a terrific defensive effort to end the half up by one.
However, the Thunder soon took control with Gilgeous-Alexander, who went 0-5 behind the arc in the first half, lighting the fuse with a 25-foot three-point jump-shot four minutes into the third quarter.
The Pacers were masters of the late comeback in the postseason but without Haliburton they were unable to claw back the deficit with the Thunder opening the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run.
“Focusing on just being the best version of myself for this basketball team, for whatever it takes, for however many games it is, however many possessions is needed, however many moments,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“Ultimately, I’m just trying to stay in the moment. I think that’s what’s gotten me here. That’s what has helped me achieve the MVP award, achieve all the things I’ve achieved. It’s helped this team win basketball games.”
Oklahoma won 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season. Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more.
Source: Sky Sports
