And just like that, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit at the top of the NBA world, and they are NBA Champions most of all.

Oklahoma City roared with a massive swing in the third quarter to take control of Game 7 at home, closing a game that saw them down by a point at halftime even after Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. It was all Thunder after that as lightning struck and kept on banging and hounding the Indiana Pacers as they pulled away to finish Game 7 with an exclamation point.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Finals MVP – after having won the scoring title, season MVP, and the WCF MVP awards on top of the championship. He finished with 29 points, 12 assists, and five assists to lead Oklahoma City to a massive victory en route to their first league title.

It was a picture perfect finish for the Thunder, and they certainly carried the momentum counting to the final seconds of the game. Fans celebrated with time running out of the game clock, knowing that after 17 years of wait, Oklahoma City now has its own NBA Championship to celebrate ever since the franchise competed at a high level for many years.

A Dominant Finish

OKC owned the third quarter thanks to a 34-20 scoring margin, and they built a massive 22-point lead at most in the second half. Indiana was leading 48-47 to start off the second half, and OKC went on a massive rally, first to retake the lead, and then cooked the rest of the way.

The Pacers did try to stage a comeback of their own without Haliburton, who went down in the first quarter with a right lower leg injury. He finished with nine points and was 3-of-4 from three before he left Game 7 and did not return for the rest of the game. OKC never let up and showed that their magical season will not end with a blown lead and a missed chance at a championship.

Jalen Williams added 20 points, while Chet Holmgren finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. The Thunder only had 11 threes – just the same as Indiana, but they were spectacular on the defensive end and rallied the crowd well behind them for a strong closeout finish.

A Historic Season

For most of the season, Oklahoma City was the best defensive team in the league, and for good reason. They have registered 10.2 steals per 100 possessions, the highest rate for any team in the last 12 seasons. Their 10.7 steals per 100 possessions in the playoffs were the most for any team that played beyond the first round in the last 26 years.

In Game 7? The Thunder forced 21 turnovers and scored 32 points off them – the usual game for OKC. They also had 14 steals on that regard, along with eight blocks. It was the defense that carried them to the Finals, and it is only fitting that it would also be the same thing that now took them to a title finish.

Nothing has been easy, and yet the Thunder strongly persevered as the second-youngest team to ever win a championship, and this is a storybook finish for the team to remember as they now etch their names in the history of the NBA.