{"id":112024,"date":"2025-06-20T12:22:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/112024\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:22:10","slug":"relax-thunder-fans-your-team-wins-the-nba-finals-in-the-script","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/112024\/","title":{"rendered":"Relax, Thunder Fans! Your Team Wins The NBA Finals In The Script"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 NBA fans have always embraced a good conspiracy theory. From the idea that the league rigged the 1985 lottery for Patrick Ewing<\/a> to the whispers that Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> for 80 cents on the dollar, the belief that outcomes are predetermined isn\u2019t new. So, when the 2025 NBA Finals began to mirror the Thunder\u2019s Western Conference Semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets,<\/a> it could give fuel to fans who believe in an NBA Finals script. And to their credit, the parallels have been startling.<\/p>\n

Relax, Thunder Fans! Your Team Wins The NBA Finals In The Script
\nGame 1: A Familiar, Heartbreaking Finish<\/p>\n

In both series, the Thunder dropped Game 1 at home on last-second daggers.<\/p>\n

Against Denver, it came after Chet Holmgren<\/a> missed a free throw with seconds left. Aaron Gordon<\/a> sprinted the floor, took a quick outlet, and buried a transition three with four seconds remaining, sealing a dramatic 121\u2013119 win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In the Finals opener, Indiana\u2019s Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> sank a 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left\u2014his team\u2019s only lead of the night\u2014in a 113\u2013111 Pacers victory.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Both games ripped momentum from the Thunder and stunned their home crowd.<\/p>\n

Game 2: Thunder Thunderously Respond
\n\"TheMay 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) goes up for a basket against the Denver Nuggets in the second half during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City didn\u2019t let the opening losses shake their resolve. They fired back with emphatic wins.<\/p>\n

Against the Nuggets, OKC exploded for 149 points\u2014the highest total by any team this postseason\u2014in a 149\u2013106 blowout.<\/p>\n

In Game 2 of the Finals, they dismantled Indiana 123\u2013107. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> led the charge with 34 points on 52% shooting.<\/p>\n

Both wins rebalanced the series and restored the Thunder\u2019s offensive rhythm.<\/p>\n

Game 3: Crunch-Time Collapse<\/p>\n

Game 3 played out similarly across both matchups.<\/p>\n

Versus Denver, OKC fell in overtime 113\u2013104 after allowing Nikola Joki\u0107<\/a> to control the late moments.<\/p>\n

Against Indiana, the Thunder surrendered a 12\u20134 fourth-quarter run, losing 115\u2013109. In both games, Oklahoma City struggled to execute in the clutch.<\/p>\n

These defeats exposed recurring late-game vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

Game 4: Road Defense at Its Finest<\/p>\n

Game 4 was redemption on the road.<\/p>\n

Facing Denver, the Thunder locked in defensively and held the Nuggets to their postseason-low 87 points in a 92\u201387 win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In Indianapolis, they repeated the formula\u2014stifling Indiana en route to a 111\u2013104 win. Those are the least amount of points scored by the Pacers in the NBA Finals so far.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Each Game 4 was a showcase of elite defense and strategic composure, flipping home-court back to OKC.<\/p>\n

Game 5: Contrasting Paths, Same Result<\/p>\n

The Thunder took Game 5 in both series but with differing styles.<\/p>\n

Against the Pacers, they won 120\u2013109, leading for all but three minutes. Their offense moved fluidly, and the defense remained consistent.<\/p>\n

The Game 5 win over Denver was grittier. Despite trailing for most of the game, OKC surged in the fourth and sealed a 117\u2013109 win, despite holding the lead for less than a quarter in total.<\/p>\n

Different rhythms, same impact\u2014Thunder up 3\u20132.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Game 6: Hit With a Sledgehammer<\/p>\n

The Thunder failed to close both series in Game 6.<\/p>\n

In Denver, the Nuggets dominated nearly every quarter of a 119\u2013107 win. Their stars delivered, and OKC never found their groove.<\/p>\n

The Pacers did the same. Their 108\u201391 rout in OKC was total, with Indiana controlling from tip to final horn. It was the Thunder\u2019s worst offensive game all season.<\/p>\n

Both games highlighted the risks of complacency and the pressure of elimination games.<\/p>\n

Game 7: History Suggests a Thunder Blowout\u2014But Don\u2019t Count On It<\/p>\n

In the conference semis, the Thunder responded to their Game 6 setback by crushing Denver 125\u201393. It was a wire-to-wire clinic.<\/p>\n

If the NBA Finals script holds, Thunder fans should expect another dominant showing on Sunday night. After all, OKC has won its two home Finals games after the opening loss by double digits.<\/p>\n

Still, this is the Finals. The trophy is just 48 minutes away. A blowout is possible\u2014but a dramatic, down-to-the-wire finish is far more likely.<\/p>\n

Whether written in the stars or just pure coincidence, the Thunder are exactly where they want to be: one win away from NBA immortality. They just need to dust themselves up from the disappointment of game 6 and lock in for game 7.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Credit: \u00a9 Kyle Terada-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 NBA fans have always embraced a good conspiracy theory. From the idea that the league rigged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11875,877,7,366,6,11,253,209,278,1197],"class_list":{"0":"post-112024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-2025-nba-finals","9":"tag-aaron-gordon","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-chet-holmgren","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-playoffs","14":"tag-nikola-jokic","15":"tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","16":"tag-tyrese-haliburton","17":"tag-western-conference-playoffs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114715672239076358","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}