Oklahoma City had a majestic finish in Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers, immortalizing the hype of the “OKC 2025 Champions” campaign. It was all Thunder, and they roared out loud to make history in the biggest stage of the game.

So when Thunder GM Sam Presti said that he wanted an arrival and not an appearance, he was looking for dominance. That’s what OKC has done for the whole season, and it has paid off well. Oklahoma City is finally a city of champions. But the scary part is that they are barely scratching the surface. This means there is more to come from the Thunder.

With the Thunder roaring to a victory, we are breaking down the biggest factors that led to their first title win. After all, it is not always that we are getting a Game 7 treat in the NBA Finals. Considering that these two teams are some of the best we’ve seen in years, it is deserving of more than a second look. Here are five takeaways from the legendary Game 7 between the Thunder and Pacers.

Despite being a small market team, Oklahoma City is known for its deafening crowd at home. It is part of the reason why the Thunder managed to finish 11-2 at home in the 2025 playoffs overall. OKC always received support from its loud and loyal fans. They have the tradition of standing up until the team scores its first basket. But if you were present in that historic Game 7, then you know these fans are built different.

For the majority of the game, Thunder fans were standing in support of the squad. It is rare to see a fanbase with that level of commitment, let alone from a small-market team. They were chanting “OKC!” and “Defense!” while the squad took control of the game. Pegged as the best fans in the league, this level of dedication proved to be quite the truest form of homecourt advantage in the postseason.

Imagine a sea of 18,203 fans bringing out the loudest of roars when the Thunder opened a scoring avalanche. No other team flexed this kind of support from its in-arena crowd, and OKC rewarded them well with a highly coveted title.

Despite Oklahoma City owning the spotlight, the Pacers deserve a lot of praise for their grit. With Tyrese Haliburton leaving the game in the first quarter with an injury, Indiana was expected to lose right away. However, Indiana was still hanging around. They were taking the fight to Oklahoma City, and they were not letting up.

For starters, they went down by 22 points at most, and yet did not fail to stay on the attack. The Pacers were battling – creating opportunities before eventually cutting the Thunder lead to just 10. As we have seen for most of the season, Indiana is built different. They are capable of showing grit and responding even in near-impossible moments. TJ McConnell was injecting life, and Bennedict Mathurin was aggressive when needed.

Indiana has a lot to be very proud of in the campaign. They were defying odds, shocking a lot of fans, and proving they have what it takes to win. At this point, no one can deny Indiana’s status as a budding contender, and they are making their way to those discussions once more with this run.

As said many times before and even during the season, Oklahoma City is a historically great team on the defensive end. OKC held the Memphis Grizzlies to 19.6 and the Denver Nuggets at 15.0 fewer points per 100 possessions. It is a promising statline considering they held the Pacers to 108.1 points per 100 possessions – 9.6 points fewer than their first three rounds.

In Game 7 alone, the Thunder were feasting on the defense. OKC finished with 14 steals and eight blocks – all while forcing 21 turnovers. They were even dominating on the break with 32 points off turnovers. Nothing has been easy for this squad, but they continue to impress and show that defense remains the formula for a championship.

No one can deny that OKC has learned a lot in this playoff run. But if there’s one glaring point to discuss, it is their generational defense that has rewarded them their first title in Oklahoma City. Those key stops allowed them to create opportunities, and they were making the best out of those moments.

In fact, the Pacers ended up having a total of 120 turnovers – way more than the Thunder’s 88 total in seven games. Defense does indeed win championships, and it is a reason to fuel the OKC’s 2025 champions campaign.

Myles Turner, Holmgren’s match-up in the center position, was struggling and could not get touches. He only had six points on four shot attempts. Chet, on the other hand, owned both ends and stabilized OKC when needed. The Thunder center finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks – the latter being an NBA Finals Game 7 record.

Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Holmgren also shot 6-of-8 from the field, and was 50% from three on two attempts. His co-big man also deserves his flowers. Isaiah Hartenstein, who came swinging in Game 7, had seven points, nine boards, and four assists in the win. The battle of the centers has been an important factor in this series, and the OKC 2025 Champions campaign would not be possible without Holmgren’s big Game 7.

J-Dub provided the scoring punch, Holmgren put down the clamps, and the Cookies and Cream duo of Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace (six steals combined) hounded their opponents. However, nothing could have been more important than SGA’s explosive performance when it mattered most. Sure, he struggled to make baskets with 8-of-27 shooting, but everything else he did was just promising.

The 2025 scoring champ, season MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, and now Finals MVP and NBA champion finished with 29 points and 12 assists. The passing was just superb as he nearly finished the game with zero turnovers before having one late in the game. As said many times before, SGA as a playmaker is a cheat code. It opens up the OKC offense even better, and it allows Shai to draw defenders before kicking out the ball.

It is easy to pass the ball, but to find the right open man to take the shot isn’t. One can also say that not turning the ball over more than once is a tough job too. The mere fact that SGA is just 26 says a lot about his potential as a dominant player for the years to come.

For now, Shai is definitely HIM. This is his storybook finish, and the Thunder are along for the ride with the star guard.

Oklahoma City finally earned its first major sports league championship. But what makes it more explosive is the fact that this is just the start of the Thunder’s dominance. We are yet to see their perfect game emerge, and the young core offers so much potential.

At this point, one can say that OKC is coming back for more. There will be other contenders on the rise. But one thing they have proven this season is that adversity is just another challenge, and one that they can easily leap over.

Take a bow, Oklahoma City. You have the last word on basketball with this supreme finish in the 2025 NBA Finals.