As the 2024–25 NBA season reaches its dramatic conclusion, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set to face off in a pivotal Game 7 of the NBA Finals. With both franchises chasing historic milestones, the stakes have never been higher.
The Thunder are on the verge of capturing their first NBA championship since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008. With a win, the franchise would achieve a landmark moment nearly two decades in the making.
Oklahoma City finished the regular season with a 68-14 record, and a Game 7 victory would bring their total to 84 wins across the regular season and playoffs—a feat accomplished by only two other championship teams in NBA history: the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (87-13) and the 1996-97 Bulls (84-17). Only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (88-18) have ever won more games in a single season, but they fell short in the Finals.
The Thunder would also become just the fifth team in NBA history—and the first in nearly 30 years—to win at least 68 regular-season games and go on to capture the championship. They would join an elite group that includes the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers (68-13), the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (69-13), and the aforementioned Bulls teams from the 1990s.
If victorious, the Thunder could also go down as the second-youngest team to win an NBA championship in the last 70 years, trailing only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers are seeking their first NBA championship since joining the league in 1976. While the franchise won three ABA titles in the early 1970s, they have yet to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Pacers are attempting to become the first No. 4 seed to win an NBA title under the current 16-team playoff format, established in the 1983-84 season. They could also become just the second team seeded lower than third to win a championship, following the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, who captured the title as a No. 6 seed.
With Indiana finishing the regular season at 50-32—18 games behind Oklahoma City—a Game 7 victory would complete the biggest upset in NBA Finals history based on regular-season win differential.
Head coach Rick Carlisle is also on the brink of making history. Already the architect of the Dallas Mavericks’ first championship in 2011, Carlisle could become the first coach to lead two different franchises to their inaugural NBA titles. He would also join the elite ranks of Alex Hannum, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley as the only head coaches to win championships with two different teams.
This marks the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history and the first since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers famously defeated the 73-win Golden State Warriors to claim their first title. In so doing, the Cavaliers became the only team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
Historically, home teams hold a commanding 15-4 (.789) record in Game 7s of the NBA Finals. However, recent history suggests that road teams are capable of defying the odds, as Cleveland did in 2016. Other road victories in Game 7s include the 1969 Celtics, 1974 Celtics, and 1978 Washington Bullets.
Game 7s are known for their intensity and tight margins. The average margin of victory is just 6.9 points, the smallest of any game in the Finals. Nearly half—9 of 19—have been decided by four points or fewer. The last six Game 7s have been particularly close, with winning margins ranging from three to seven points.
Adding an extra layer of nostalgia, this year’s Game 7 falls on June 23 in Manila—the same date the Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks in 1994 to win the first of their back-to-back titles.
With history waiting to be written on both sides, this Game 7 promises to be a defining moment for the NBA, whether it’s the rise of a young Thunder dynasty or the long-awaited coronation of the Indiana Pacers.
