Story & Photo
By Michael Kinney
OKLAHOMA CITY- Game 7.
In sports vernacular, there aren’t two more elegant and impactful words than when Game and 7 are put next to each other. The only time that isn’t the case is when you add Championship to it.
That is what we have this evening in Oklahoma City. A Championship Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.
It is the first time either franchise has been in this position. While both the Thunder and Pacers have made it to the NBA finals in the past, they ended before anyone could even utter the words Game 7.
“I think this group has done a really good job of learning its lessons through adversity,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “I think that’s why we’ve gotten here, is we’ve taken them and gotten better from them and gotten better on the other side of them.
“If we want to achieve our dream, we’ll have to continue to do the same thing.”
Through six games, fans have witnessed an unpredictable and energized series. It has seen stars ( Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton) be stars and role players (Aaron Wiggins, TJ McConnell) save games.
It’s been a series where both fan bases have laid claim to be the loudest in the NBA and gone out of their way to prove it.
“I just think the atmospheres are different, obviously,” McConnell said. “Crowds give you a little bit more energy, a little bit more burst. We are going to be practically alone (today). This crowd here in Oklahoma City is amazing. It’s going to be very loud. We have to be ready.”
It’s been such an unpredictable series that both teams can claim they believed the series should have been over by the end of the day, and parade plans were already being finalized on calendars. Oklahoma City let a victory get away in Game 1, and Indy returned the favor in Game 4.
Both teams have taken different paths to get to this point. While the Thunder sat atop the NBA all season and seemed pre-destined to play for a title, the Pacers came out of nowhere and just kept knocking off anyone in their path.
“I think as a group we’ve just been very resilient throughout the playoffs,” Haliburton said. “We’re a group of guys that get along really well and are trying to do something special. I think the expectations for this group from an external viewpoint coming into the year weren’t very high. They weren’t very high coming into the playoffs. They weren’t very high going into the second round of the playoffs. They weren’t very high going into the third round. They weren’t very high now. I think we just have done a great job of just staying together. There’s not a group of guys I’d rather go to war with. I’m really excited to compete with these guys in a Game 7, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
When the ball is tipped at 7 p.m. at the Paycom Center, the entire basketball world will have all eyes on Oklahoma City as the two of the smallest markets (No. 26 OKC, No. 22 Indiana) have a chance to put on a show that could go down into Championship Game 7 lore along with the 2016 NBA Finals (Cavs over Warriors), 2001 World Series (Diamondbacks over Yankees), 2016 World Series (Cubs over Indians) and 2013 NBA Finals (Miami over San Antonio).
Regardless of whether it lives up to those legendary series or not, one team will see their dreams come true while the other will be left to wonder what could have been.
“I think the pressure of the moment is that everything you’ve put into this year to grow through the regular season, training camp, postseason, the pressure might be just like not wanting to waste that,” said veteran Thunder guard Alex Caruso. “But at the end of the day, like I said, you’re either going to win or lose. Like that’s the reality of the situation. So go out there and you play your best and you play as hard as you can and you let the chips fall where they may.”
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