Sunday’s showdown between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder will be the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It is the most hallowed ground of professional basketball, the thrilling finale to an epic clash of two conference champions vying for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Oklahoma City and Indiana are now a part of that saga.
Few picked such an outcome heading into the 2025 NBA Finals, but the Thunder and Pacers have proven to be perfect foils for one another. Game by game, they have drawn each other’s dramatic best as the series has gone from Indiana up 2-1 to OKC up 3-2 to a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
YOU HEARD BILL RUSSELL 🔊🔊
GAME 7. SUNDAY. 8 PM ET. ABC. pic.twitter.com/brSdFrcXMB
— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2025
How did they get here?
Game 1: Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning jumper seals a stunning victory for the historically clutch Pacers.
Game 2: The Thunder use a first half of blistering offense and suffocating defense to keep Indiana at bay.
Game 3: The Bennedict Mathurin Game.
Game 4: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander activates MVP mode in the 4th quarter.
Game 5: The Jalen Williams Game.
Game 6: Haliburton plays through injury, Pacers’ rout forces Game 7
When’s the last time we were here?
The 2016 Finals were the last edition to go to the distance. The Cavaliers’ comeback from a 3-1 series deficit was the headline, led by Finals MVP LeBron James en route to securing Cleveland’s first NBA championship.
That Game 7 went down to the final possessions and featured the best block of James’ career and the biggest shot of Kyrie Irving’s career.
Check out the final 6 minutes of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
How often have we been here?
This marks the 20th time an NBA Finals has reached Game 7. The longest stretch between them was the 11-year span between Knicks-Rockets in 1994 and Pistons-Spurs in 2005.
The league has seen back-to-back Finals Game 7s just three times:
- 1951 (Knicks-Royals) and 1952 (Knicks-Lakers)
- 1954 (Nationals-Lakers) and 1955 (Pistons-Nationals)
- 1969 (Celtics-Lakers) and 1970 (Lakers-Knicks)
The Celtics and Lakers have each played in eight total Finals Game 7s during their respective franchise histories.
What to expect
Finals Game 7s are generally tightly contested and low-scoring with an average margin of victory of 6.9 points. Only four of the previous 19 showdowns have been decided by double-digits — and none since 1974.
No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the Finals since the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988. The last five Game 7s:
- 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89
- 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88
- 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79
- 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74
- 1994, Houston 90, New York 84
These teams in Game 7
The Thunder already have a Game 7 under their belt this postseason. Oklahoma City blew past Denver, 125-93, at home in the final game of their Western Conference semifinal series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and OKC erased an 11-point first-half deficit and led by as many as 43.
Indiana has recent history as well. The Pacers took Game 7 on the road at New York in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals. Their top eight players from that 130-109 victory are still with the team.
Home-court advantage
In 2016, Cleveland became the first road team to win a Finals Game 7 since 1978 (Washington over Seattle). Overall, the home team is 15-4 in championship deciders.
The Pacers are 7-4 on the road this postseason, while the Thunder are 10-2 at home.
"It's a one-game series now."
From Best of 7.
To Best of 5.
To Best of 3.
TO BEST OF 1.Winner takes all on Sunday at 8pm/et on ABC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/K8KFKWxmwx
— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2025
