HG08 2025 NBA Finals: 4 Things to Watch in Game 7 of the Finals

Unpredictability is the only guarantee for Oklahoma City and Indiana to compete for the championship in Game 7.

Oklahoma City - Every stat in Game 7 of the NBA Finals seems to have a corresponding stat.

For example, in league history, home teams have had a considerable advantage in all previous 19 games. This is naturally beneficial to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They will host the Indiana Pacers at the Paycom Center on Sunday night (8 ET, ABC), the final game of the seven-inning four-win finals.

However, all four away teams that left a slimy champagne stain in the away team locker room were from the Eastern Conference (1969 Celtics, 1974 Celtics, 1978 Bullets, 2016 Cavaliers).

This also looks strange: the teams that have decided in Game 7 of the last three finals have won the teams that were behind 3-2 before the last two games. The Cleveland Cavaliers did nine years ago, and they became the first champion team in history to turn the tables 1-3 behind. The Heat in 2013 and the Lakers in 2010 (at the time, the 2-3-2 game system) also did this.

This may give them some inspiration as the Pacers are about to end their incredible playoff journey. When it all started over two months ago, the Pacers were the fourth seed in the East and needed enough effort to beat the No. 1 Thunder (68 wins and 14 losses).

Obviously, both teams would prefer to sweep each other—by then the parade is over and their rings are ready. But the glory of entering and participating in Game 7—some of the most memorable moments in league history—the players and coaches have not forgotten.

"It's an honor for everyone involved," Thunder head coach Mark Dagnott said Saturday. "We will have fun in the game. We will give it all. We will be ourselves." Thunder winger Jaylen Williams said: "This will keep the hair on your arms standing up." In six intense games, both sides established respect, with little resentment or dissatisfaction, as can be seen from the answers given in an interview with reporters on the last day.

In fact, a quote from Indiana defender Tyres Halliburton seems to be very suitable for this series, no matter which team he thinks of, he said, "I would rather go to the fight with a bunch of people."

Whether it is style or strength, the Pacers and Thunder are similar. They are all small-court teams, all chasing their first championship, all led by All-Star point guards, on both sides are lineups with deep, young and tacit cooperation. They are becoming increasingly stingy on the defensive end, both starting and substitute players can score, and are coached by two of the most respected coaches in the league.

Degno said: "These two teams rely heavily on (intangible assets) to get to where they are today. The overall strength of the two teams is far better than the sum of each part. Both teams are very competitive. Both teams are united. The success of both teams depends on the same factors, and they are now facing each other."

As the Thunder and Pacers ended the last 48 minutes of the 2024-25 season, there are four things worth paying attention to:

1. It is expected that the game will be very intense

, etc. Did we just say "48 minutes"? It wouldn't be surprising if Sunday's game takes 53 minutes or more to decide the championship.

records show that two of the previous 19 tiebreak games entered overtime. In fact, in 1957, the Boston Red Sox took two overtime games to eliminate the St. Louis Hawks 125-123. Five years later, the Celtics beat the Lakers 110-107 in single overtime, the first time Bill Russell's team beat Lakers legends Jerry West and Elgin Baylor in the Finals six times in the 1960s. The average net difference in Game 7 of the

The average net difference in Game 7 of the finals was 6.9 points, making it the smallest net difference in all finals games. The score difference in the seventh game of the last six finals has been 7 points or less.

But you have to know: in the first six games of this season, the Thunder went to the Pacers 662-655. Net score per game: 1.16 points. Such a huge difference is really unreasonable.

2. Some final final skills

The winners and losses of the playoff series depend on adjustments to each game, every half, and even every possession. But after 24 quarters of the game, more than 1,300 points and 500 rebounds, you may think that both sides have tried their best and tried their best, so the outcome of the seventh game depends on which team has stronger execution ability or which team has a hot scorer.

Obviously not.

"Oh, of course there are more tweaks to do," said Rick Carlisle of Indiana. "Let's wait and see."

Carlisle's team made a clever change in Game 6. The Pacers are known for their toughness and speed on both ends of the offense and defense, and on Thursday they unexpectedly slowed down their offense and ended up winning 108-91 at the Gainbridge Arena.

Suddenly, they no longer put pressure on the opponent from the moment the Thunder serves out of the bounds. They began to take the initiative to hang the ball, organize the half-court defense more closely, and then pass more to Thunder’s top ball-handler Shea Gilgers-Alexander than earlier in the series.

"We just didn't get used to this situation well and didn't fully trust our previous play," said defender Alex Caruso. "By then, our defense has seen all kinds of offenses this year, whether it's Shay, Dab [Williams], or the whole team."

"Some people play aggressively, some are weak, some are regional joint defense, some are trap defense, some are retreat defense, some are blocking defense. No matter what happens, we are all ready, the key is to go out and find the right way to attack, and make the most of it."

Daigneault There must be one or two cards to play, as long as it doesn't make his players think too much when they should act and react.

"You certainly want to learn from your lessons and apply the game plan to the game," he said, "but not at the expense of enterprising spirit, confidence and instinct."

3. Find the X factor in the backcourt When you have as many contributors as the Pacers -- eight players each scored more than 200 points during the playoffs, which is the first time in the NBA -- you have several candidates that can inspire the team's fighting spirit, make up for the team's shortcomings, or otherwise push the team to victory. Big men Obi Toping and wing Benedict Mathulin have performed well so far, and either of them may step up again to strengthen the Pacers' starting lineup.

The player who is most likely to change the situation, or (if the situation requires) reinforcements are experienced backup guard TJ McConnell. The 33-year-old Pittsburgh native became the first substitute in Finals history to score 10 points, 5 assists and 5 steals in a single game. Now that the game is still one game left, he is the only player among the substitutes to score at least 60 points, 25 assists and 15 rebounds in the finals.

He was compared with JJ Barrea, an experienced backup point guard who helped the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat led by LeBron James in 2011.

"I do see similarities," said Carlisle, who coaches the Mavericks.

McConnell's greatest value lies in the data he obtains. But his fiery footsteps, his seldom shots from 12 feet away from the rim, and his cunning reverse direction and ability to steal passes.

Thunder guards Aaron Wiggins and Carson Wallace are all-rounders and are likely to start in many NBA teams. Isaiah Joe's three-point shooting ability is unstable. But Caruso is a player with both offense and defense, and he is likely to represent the Thunder to defeat McConnell. He scored 20 points twice in the series and had 14 steals.

4. Is there still time to go to the center?

NBA today no longer has a significant influence on the outcome of Game 7 like big players like Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon or Tim Duncan. The center player was rated as MVP eight times in the first 17 years (1969-85) of the finals MVP trophy, but only once in the past 19 years (Nicola Jokic, 2023).

No one expected that the big guys in Oklahoma City or the Indiana Pacers would dominate. But their performance, especially on the offensive end, is far inferior to the regular season.

For the Thunder, Chet Homgren's total shooting percentage this season is as high as 49%, and his three-point shooting percentage is only 38%, while his shooting percentage is only 35% in this game, and only 2 of 17 three-pointers are made. Isaiah Haltenstein's playing time dropped by one-third in the game to 19.2 minutes per game, and his double-double in scoring and rebounding were also reduced by half.

Meanwhile, Pacers center Miles Turner - known for being able to pull opponents big players out of their defensive comfort zone - hit only five goals with 25 three-point shots. His total hit rate was only 36.8%. In the 56 playoff games before the Finals, Turner shot 51.2%, with three-point shooting percentage of 40.1%.

However, neither coaches gave up on the potential of the two big players to still have an impact in the final moments of the Finals. At least their defensive work has reached their usual level.

Carlisle said of Homgren: "There were a lot of times we didn't deal with him well before."

Daigneault gave a lifeline that the Finals teams have historically taken away the elements their opponents depend on between November and April.

"You can't play against a great team seven times in the regular season, and the result is that great players, great teams, their performance is always shaking," said the Thunder coach.

"It is very difficult to maintain the same thing over and over, which is why some teams win or lose in the playoff series, why some players have very noisy, great nights, and some players have calmer nights."

No matter the position and performance, the seventh game will not be calm.