The Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA championship after defeating Indiana Pacers in winner-take-all Game 7The Thunder's previous incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, was formed in 1967. In 41 seasons in Seattle, the SuperSonics compiled a 1745–1585 (.524) win–loss record in the regular season and went 107–110 (.493) in the playoffs. The franchise's titles include three Western Conference championships and one NBA title in 1979.
In 2006, Howard Schultz sold the SuperSonics for $350 million to a group of Oklahoma City investors led by Clay Bennett, a move approved by NBA owners the following October. In 2007, Bennett announced that the franchise would move to Oklahoma City as soon as the lease with KeyArena expired.
In June 2008, a lawsuit brought by the City of Seattle against Bennett due to his attempts to break the final two years of the Sonics' lease at KeyArena went to federal court. Nearly a month later, the two sides reached a settlement agreement. The terms awarded the city $45 million to get out of the remaining lease at KeyArena, and could provide an additional $30 million payment to Seattle in 2013 if certain conditions are met. The owners agreed to leave the SuperSonics name, logo and colors in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise; however, the items would remain the property of the Oklahoma City team along with other "assets," including championship banners and trophies. On September 3, 2008, the team name, logo, and colors for the Oklahoma City franchise were revealed to the public. The name "Thunder" was chosen due to Oklahoma being a frequent victim of powerful storms due to its location in Tornado Alley, and Oklahoma City housing
Thunder cap off incredible season with a hard-earned NBA title
The Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night finished what they started back in late October, and put the rest of the NBA on notice that there’s a new sheriff in town.With an average age under 26, the Thunder capped off one of the winningest seasons in league history with a seven-game triumph over a pesky Indiana Pacers team to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
It was a tight affair in the early-going, indicative of the back-and-forth nature of the entire series, and then disaster struck for Indiana.
Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had been instrumental in a string of incredible comeback wins for the Pacers this postseason, went down with a non-contact injury to his lower right leg. He writhed in pain, slapping the floor in a mixture of frustration, heartbreak and physical discomfort. His father later confirmed to broadcaster ESPN what many had suspected - it was an Achilles injury for the 25-year-old.
With every excuse to throw in the towel, the Pacers instead rallied around their injured leader. Keyed by Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam and a hard-nosed defense, Indiana took a surprising 48-47 lead into halftime.
As the adrenaline began to wear off, the Thunder started to impose their will in the third quarter of the game.
In the blink of an eye, the game went from tied at 56-56 to a nine-point OKC lead after three consecutive long range shots from the Thunder’s “Big 3” - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
The Thunder never looked back from that point.
OKC, which boasted the league’s best defense in the regular season, began swarming all over the short-handed Pacers. The Thunder held Indiana scoreless for the first 4:31 of the fourth quarter as Oklahoma City’s lead grew to 22 points.
The Pacers showed their trademark determination and never quit, trimming the deficit down to 10 points with two-and-a-half minutes left.
But without their late-game hero Haliburton, the mountain was just too steep for the Pacers, and the Thunder ultimately won the game 103-91.
The Thunder’s centerpiece, Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 29 points and earned Finals MVP honors, becoming the first player since LeBron James in 2013 to earn both regular season and Finals MVP awards. SGA also became just the fourth player in NBA history to win the league MVP trophy, the scoring title and win the Finals, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.
After looking listless at halftime, the Thunder closed their season in the same fashion that they had been playing since October: Intense defense, lightning quick runs and leaning on Gilgeous-Alexander’s near-perfect basketball to take home the title.
Oklahoma City outlasted a potential signature Indiana fourth quarter comeback to win the NBA championship.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the regular season MVP and now he can call himself the NBA Finals MVP as well.
the 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbirds
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