Yesterday, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, in a thrilling but predictable Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I call it predictable because it was no longer a question mark as to who was gonna become the 2025 NBA Champion after the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton left the game due to an Achilles injury in the first quarter.
The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy unsurprisingly went to the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander...over a month after he was crowned the 2024-'25 regular season MVP as well. This is the first time in 25 years where the league's regular season MVP winner went on to emerging victorious in the championship round. Shaquille O'Neal won the 1999-'00 regular season MVP before he and the Lakers proceeded to besting the Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals.
Speaking of the Lakers, Alex Caruso won his second NBA championship last night. His first title was with Los Angeles when it defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. While naysayers assert that that championship didn't count (which it does) because it took place inside the Disney World 'bubble' in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic, they can't say the same thing about Caruso's second ring.
We'll see how the rest of the NBA reacts to the Thunder becoming the new king of the league. 2-time champion Kevin Durant will be traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets; now let's see how other teams—including the Lakers with their new owner—respond to OKC.
If the chart below is any indication, L.A. fans will have to wait till 2030 for the Lakers to bring the bling back to the City of Angels. (Also: Screw the 1960s!) And did someone place an actual curse on the Eastern Conference so that the West could win this postseason? Happy Monday.
Congrats, SGA! The last time a regular season MVP won the #NBAFinals was in 2000...when Shaq led the Lakers to a championship over the Pacers. pic.twitter.com/K99UYyWSck
— Richard Par (@RichTPar) June 23, 2025
CONGRATS ALEX CARUSO ❤️
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) June 23, 2025
THE BALD MAMBA IS NOW A 2X CHAMP 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/kE1itxXwr1
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