Thunder pull off NBA Finals Game 7 feat not seen since 1988

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Thunder pull off NBA Finals Game 7 feat not seen since 1988

Jedd Pagaduan · ClutchPoints

Mon, Jun 23, 2025 ·

2 min read

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The post Thunder pull off NBA Finals Game 7 feat not seen since 1988 appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Oklahoma City Thunder 's rebuild is complete. Five years after tearing it down and building from the ground up, and 13 years after previously making it to the NBA Finals, the Thunder have finally climbed the mountaintop , claiming the Larry O'Brien trophy after warding off the shorthanded Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, 103-91.

All playoffs long, it didn't seem like the Thunder commanded the respect of a team that won 68 games in the regular season, but they showed why they were the cream of the crop in the NBA all year long with a dominant third quarter run that virtually won them the title.

In fact, that dominant third quarter burst where OKC forced one turnover after another eventually led to a historic feat that hadn't been done in the NBA for 37 years. As pointed out by Law Murray of The Athletic, the 2025 Thunder became the first team to cross the 100-point mark in the Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988, when both the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons did so. (This was the game where James Worthy dropped a triple-double to seal the title in favor of the Lakers.)

For the first two quarters of this year's Game 7, it looked like the Thunder were going to be locked into a slugfest against a Pacers team that doesn't know the word "quit". But they got into one of their signature runs in the third quarter and ended up scoring 34 points in the period, outscoring Indiana by 14 in that fateful championship-sealing stretch.

For a team that was on the receiving end of a shellacking in Game 6, the Thunder showed incredible championship poise for such a young team and delivered the city its first NBA title, and this may very well just be the start of a dominant, dynastic run given how well-constructed they are in terms of building a sustainable contending team for the foreseeable future.

Thunder flex composure beyond their years

This Thunder team had to earn their championship. Many fans would point towards injuries as the reason for their breakthrough, but nothing was given to them in the end. They had to face a Denver Nuggets team that was battle-tested and crushed them in Game 7, while they withstood one run after another from a Pacers team that seemed to have destiny on its side.

It may be too early to make any sort of prognostication for next season, but this Thunder team will open next season as the championship favorite even if they don't make any changes whatsoever to their roster.

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