2025 NBA Finals

• 1. Series Overview And Outcome

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  The 2025 NBA Finals began on June 5 and concluded on June 22. The Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in seven games. This marked the first Game 7 of an NBA Finals since 2016. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. He became the first player to win a regular season MVP and Finals MVP in the same season since LeBron James in 2013. The series featured a league-best 68, 14 record for the Thunder against a 50, 32 record for the Pacers. The Thunder held home-court advantage throughout the series.

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• 2. Thunder Championship History

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  Oklahoma City won their second championship in franchise history with this victory. Their previous title came in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. This was their first championship since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The team entered the playoffs as the youngest to make the Finals since the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. They finished 16 games better than the Houston Rockets, creating the largest margin between first and second seeds in NBA history. General Manager Sam Presti earned Executive of the Year honors for building the roster. Head coach Mark Daigneault had been named Coach of the Year the previous season.

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• 3. Pacers Historic Comebacks

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  Indiana set an NBA postseason record with five 15-point comebacks during their run. One such rally occurred in Game 1 when Tyrese Haliburton made a game-winning two-point jumpshot with 0.3 seconds remaining. The Pacers became the first team in the play-by-play era to win a game while trailing by 14 points or more with 2:45 left. They also tied the 1992 Chicago Bulls and 2011 Dallas Mavericks for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Finals history. From a 10, 15 start in December, Indiana went 52, 21 into the Finals. Their defense ranked ninth in efficiency after early December struggles.

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• 4. Game By Game Breakdown

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  Game 1 ended 111, 110 with Haliburton's buzzer-beater giving Indiana the lead. Game 2 saw Oklahoma City win 123, 107 to tie the series at one apiece. In Game 3, Bennedict Mathurin scored 27 points off the bench to give Indiana a 2, 1 series lead. The Thunder evened the series at 2, 2 with a 116, 107 victory in Game 4. Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points in Game 5 as OKC took a 3, 2 lead. Game 6 extended the series to seven games with Indiana winning 108, 91. The final Game 7 on June 22 ended 103, 91 for Oklahoma City. Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter of that decisive game.

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• 5. Player Performance Analysis

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  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points and 5.6 assists across all seven games. He became the fourth player to win the league scoring title along with regular season and Finals MVPs in one season since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000. Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 23.6 points per game before his injury. Pascal Siakam added 12.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game throughout the series. Jalen Williams contributed 14.0 points and 3.7 assists while making his first All-Star appearance. Chet Holmgren set a record with five blocks in Game 7. Mathurin scored 12.4 points off the bench, marking the most points by a reserve in the Finals since Jason Terry in 2011.

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• 6. Media Coverage And Ratings

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  The Finals aired on ABC for the 23rd consecutive year with Mike Breen as play-by-play announcer. Game 7 averaged 16.35 million viewers and peaked at 19.28 million. The series overall averaged just 10.27 million viewers, making it the least-watched Finals since 2021. Viewership criticism focused on ABC's lack of player introductions and court branding. ESPN generated a record-breaking 5 billion views across all social media platforms during the Finals. Richard Jefferson joined the broadcast team after JJ Redick left to become head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Lisa Salters was absent for Games 2, 4 due to her mother's health issues.

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