The Oklahoma City Thunder finally ended their title drought, coming up with a massive 103-91 win against the Indiana Pacers in a crucial Game 7 situation. With the Finals in hand, the Thunder were crowned NBA champions after a historic season, and NBA fans couldn’t get enough of it.
The fans had every right to be excited, watching OKC lift its first trophy in franchise history. After valiant contributions by the team to take them this far, the overarching sense of pride came through as fans poured in on social media to share their ecstatic reactions.
“This chip puts Shai over Curry ngl,” said one fan, in light of Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic season.
“Can’t hate on it,” added another fan, accepting the reality of the situation.
Former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins also shared a reaction to the win, and said, “The scary part is OKC will only get better!”
“Safe to say the SGA trade worked out…,” said one fan while referring to the iconic trade to land the guard along with a war chest of draft capital.
“What a season OKC had,” added another fan.
While several fans were excited about the win, many others had a different opinion as well.
“It’s like KD, Russ, & Harden OKC legacy doesn’t even exists anymore,” added a fan, in reaction to some of the fan comments.
“Flopping did this. Congrats,” said another, while referring to the Thunder star being named the NBA Finals MVP.
Another fan piggybacked off the previous comment and added, “I hope SGA was kind enough to share his Finals MVP award with the referee crew.”
“Flopped his way to a title,” claimed another fan.
“This OKC ring abt to go down as one of the most fraudulent rings ever. Congrats,” added another fan in disbelief.
The Thunder had their work cut out for them in Game 7, much like every other game of the series. After a difficult start, with the Pacers securing the lead in the first half, OKC needed to see more contributions from its role players to become significant.
The second half saw a very different performance by OKC. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his onslaught, the resurgence of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren on the offensive front saw the Thunder establish a commanding lead in the game.
Holmgren and Williams combined for a crucial 38 points, with the big man doing incredible defensive work with five blocks to his name.
This gap ballooned as Oklahoma’s league-best defense kicked into overdrive, forcing the Pacers to make costly turnovers at every stage. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined from the game with injury, the Thunder exploited the match-ups they had and started building upon their lead with a well-executed offense.
With a comfortable lead heading into the fourth, the Thunder were in a solid position to coast to the win. With players such as Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace also notching double-digit scoring off the bench, it was evident that Oklahoma simply overpowered the Pacers by the end of the game.
The NBA championship was only made sweeter with Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander being named the NBA Finals MVP. After a terrific run through the regular season, the guard followed up key contributions in the playoffs, etching his name alongside the greats of the game with his performance. He ended the game with a dominant showing of 29 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, and two blocks.
In many ways, this win seems like destiny for the Thunder. After being denied by the Miami Heat in 2012, OKC has finally overcome the last hurdle. Sam Presti’s tireless project with the front office to construct this team from the ground up comes to fruition, made even more worthwhile with the consideration of the assets they will have in hand moving forward.
With the season coming to a close and a trophy finally in hand, the Thunder will head into next season as the reigning champions, potentially on the rise as the NBA’s newest dynasty.
