The Oklahoma City Thunder capped off their remarkable 2025 championship run with a signature Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers, and it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who once again rose to the moment, etching his name permanently into Thunder lore.
In front of a roaring crowd at Paycom Center, the game remained tense well into the third quarter—even with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined by an early Achilles injury. When Myles Turner tied the game at 56-56 midway through the third, the atmosphere turned anxious. But SGA, backed by emerging stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, ignited the Thunder’s defining run.
Gilgeous-Alexander drilled a three-pointer at the top of the key, then created back-to-back threes for Holmgren and Williams with brilliant drive-and-kick plays. The sudden 9-0 burst forced a Rick Carlisle timeout, but the damage was already done. SGA went on to score or assist on 14 straight Thunder points, finishing with 29 points, 12 assists, and the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award. Coach Mark Daigneault’s halftime adjustment—inserting Alex Caruso for Isaiah Hartenstein—proved pivotal. Caruso delivered a relentless defensive effort, chipping in 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in 32 minutes.
The Thunder forced 23 turnovers, converting them into 32 points, a hallmark of their 68-win season. It was a vintage OKC performance: team-first, defensive-minded, and led by their MVP. On the same day former Thunder legend Kevin Durant was traded to Houston, it was SGA—the centerpiece of the post-Durant era—who brought the Thunder their first NBA title in 17 seasons in Oklahoma. The torch has been passed, and Gilgeous-Alexander now stands as the new face of the franchise’s golden age.
