THE first NBA game of the 2024–2025 season tipped off last Oct. 24. That was eight months and one day ago. And now, it all comes down to this.
One final game. The last 48 minutes. Indiana vs. Oklahoma City. The unlikely vs. the expected.
The sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers weren’t supposed to be here. No MVPs. No superteam. No hype. But what they lacked in buzz, they made up for in belief. Leading this improbable run is Tyrese Haliburton. At 25, he’s orchestrated the Pacers like a maestro — composed and in control.
Last year, my wife Jasmin, daughter Jana, and I saw him live at the Paris Olympics. The venue: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France. The matchup: USA vs. South Sudan.
Tyrese played just seven minutes but quietly drained two of three 3-pointers for six points. Efficient. Effortless.
But with LeBron, KD, and Steph sharing the floor for Team USA — honestly — we hardly remembered seeing Tyrese. He was the quiet conductor in a band of legends.
Now, he’s front and center. With Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, and the rest, the Pacers are one win away from their first-ever NBA championship.
So yes — I’d love for the team that Larry Bird helped build to win today.
But my gut feel? It says OKC.
Because if Indiana has Tyrese, Oklahoma City has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The newly crowned MVP has been nothing short of masterful. Smooth. Lethal. Unrushed. SGA moves like water — graceful, flowing, and impossible to contain. We’ve seen greatness at the guard spot before — Magic, MJ, Kobe, Steph — and Shai may very well be next in line.
This postseason, he’s averaged 30 points, 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 combined steals and blocks. Only two players have ever put up a 30-5-6 en route to a championship: Michael Jordan (twice) and Nikola Jokic (2023).
But first, Shai has to win today, Monday, (Game 7 is at 8 a.m., Philippine time). The Thunder had the league’s best regular-season record. And here’s a stat that could define Game 7: they’re 46-8 at home—including the playoffs.
That’s an 85 percent winning rate inside Paycom Center, with 18,000 screaming fans rising with every Shai drive and roaring with every Holmgren block. Add in Jalen Williams flying in for dunks and Lu Dort on defense — and you have a young, outstanding core.
This franchise began in 1968 as the Seattle SuperSonics, capturing their lone NBA title in 1979. (For those of us following the NBA in the ‘70s era, who could forget Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams, and Jack Sikma?) In 2008, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, where a new chapter began. In 2012, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden reached the Finals — but fell to Miami.
Today could be the day OKC finally claims its first title as the Thunder.
So here we are. For Indiana, a first. For OKC, a rebirth.
My heart is with the Pacers. But my head says Thunder.