Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals: Everything you need to know about the history of Game 7

When the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers tip off in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday night, it will mark just the 20th time in league history that a championship has come down to a single, decisive game. The Finals have gone the distance in fewer than one in four seasons since the NBA’s merger with the ABA. And yet, each Game 7 carries with it the weight of legacies earned or lost in 48 minutes of winner-take-all basketball.

A Rare Stage

The first Finals Game 7 was played in 1951, when the Rochester Royals edged out the New York Knicks. Since then, this exclusive club of showdowns has been defined by tension, grit, and an almost mythic atmosphere. The longest stretch without a Game 7 came between 1994 and 2005, a full 11 years without the drama that only a final game can bring. This year will mark 9 years since the last Game 7.

What to Expect:

Overall, these games are rarely blowouts. The average margin of victory in a Finals Game 7 is just 6.9 points, with the last eight all decided by single digits. Some went down to the wire withsix of them decided by three points or fewer, no Finals Game 7 has ever been decided by 20 or more points.

In fact, no team has cracked 100 points in a Finals Game 7 since the Lakers beat the Pistons 108–105 in 1988. Rick Astley's Together Forever was No. 1 on the charts...that's how long ago it was.

>>> By The Numbers: Blowout, breakdowns, and a Game 7 on deck for the Thunder

Legends, Losses, and Longevity

Game 7s produce unforgettable performances. Only two players have scored 40+ points in a Finals Game 7, and both—Jerry West (1969) and Elgin Baylor (1962), lost.

The Boston Celtics lead all teams with seven Finals Game 7 wins, while the Lakers, despite having the most appearances (nine), have just four wins to show for it.

These Teams, This Moment

The Oklahoma City Thunder are no strangers to pressure. Just weeks ago, they routed the defending champion Denver Nuggets 125–93 in a Game 7 at home, overcoming an early deficit and leading by as many as 43. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant, dropping 35 points.

For the Indiana Pacers, this is uncharted Finals territory, but not unfamiliar ground. They won a Game 7 on the road in this year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, crushing the Knicks 130–109 at Madison Square Garden.

Home-Court

Home teams hold a commanding 15–4 record in Finals Game 7s. In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Warriors in Oakland, becoming the first road team to win a Finals Game 7 since 1978.

This postseason, OKC is 10–2 at home. Indiana? 7–4 on the road. So, while the odds lean toward the Thunder, the Pacers’ road resilience cannot be dismissed.

A 20-Point Warning

And then there’s this via Tom Haberstroh: Only three times in NBA Finals history has a team failed to close out a title in Game 6 with a 20+ point loss and still come back to win Game 7.

1. 1970 Knicks: Lost Game 6 by 22, won Game 7
2. 1978 Bullets: Won Games 6 & 7
3. 2010 Lakers: Won Game 6 by 22, clinched Game 7

That means teams in OKC’s position, blown out in a potential closeout, are just 1–2 in the finale.

One Game for Everything

“This is for everything we’ve worked for,” said SGA after the Game 6 loss. “The better team Sunday will win.”

That’s the truth. Game 7 of the NBA Finals is a proving ground. Not just for players, but for franchises, for fanbases, for history.

Will the Pacers claim their first NBA title in their first Finals Game 7? Or will Oklahoma City, chasing its first championship as the Thunder, rise from the wreckage of Game 6?

We’ve been here just 19 times before. This will be the 20th. And like all the others, it won’t be forgotten.

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