This young Oklahoma City Thunder squad plays the biggest game of their careers up to this point tonight. They host the Denver Nuggets for a Game 7 with a trip to the Western Conference Finals on the line.

The showdown of the two MVP candidates, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been nothing short of phenomenal.

In fact, this is the first time since 1984 that we have seen two MVP candidates play a Game 7 against each other. Exuding confidence, Shai has revealed what his mindset is heading into Game 7.

And Kendrick Perkins believes the boisterous OKC home crowd will help the Thunder to a win. But recent history shows us that home-court advantage is not that significant.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the NBA this year, securing the first seed and home-court advantage with a 68-14 record.

But home-court advantage might not be useful in Game 7. In fact, a No. 1 seed team has not won a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs since 2017, when the Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards.

In the year before that, the Golden State Warriors, the No.1 seed in the NBA, managed to win a Game 7 against the Thunder, and lose a Game 7 to the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 1 seed in the East but behind the Warriors on record).

For a closer look, here are the last 10 Game 7s played by a No.1 seed (East/West/Overall) and their records in reverse chronological order.

The No.1 seeds that played a Game 7 have a 5-5 record in those games in these last 10 outings. However, the fact that a No.1 seed hasn’t won a Game 7 in eight years could work against the Thunder.

These stats show that while home court advantage is quite important, it is not the be-all, end-all in the playoffs.

At the end of the day, the fans in the stands might be different. The players still have to excel within the dimensions of a basketball court.

It will take a strong performance from the Thunder to put the Nuggets away. Game 7 this afternoon will be an absolute thriller.