An NBA championship is on the line in a do-or-die Game 7. The moment doesn’t get any bigger than that. As exciting as the final game of the 2025 NBA Finals seems, the feeling of pressure is right behind it. Not for the Indiana Pacers, but for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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No team was more dominant than OKC throughout the 2024-25 season. They finished with an NBA-best 68-14 record and obliterated the competition en route to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, none of that matters in Game 7.
There are so many variables that can play a part in swinging this game in either team’s favor. In Game 6, Obi Toppin contributed 20 points off the bench, which gave the Pacers a much-needed jolt. The Thunder experienced the benefit of an unexpected performance in Game 4. Alex Caruso finished with an impressive 20 points in a down-to-the-wire victory.
The x-factors for a Game 7 aren’t as simple as the other games in the series. Draymond Green understands this better than most players. As a result, he believes the pressure OKC is facing is insurmountable.
“This is Game 7 of the NBA Finals, everybody’s got pressure. But all the pressure in this game is on OKC,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “You’re at home. You’ve had the best record all year, and it all comes down to one game and what you do to win this one game.”
Green isn’t speaking from an outsider’s point of view. He participated in the last Game 7 in the NBA Finals, which took place in 2016 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
Green and the Warriors were in a similar position to the Thunder. Golden State had the best record in NBA history at 73-9. They began the 2016 NBA Finals with a 3-1 lead over the Cavaliers. Cleveland then stormed back to force a Game 7. The outcome of that game came down to timely plays, which may be the case between the Thunder and Pacers.
“All it takes is one Kyrie Irving shot to flip the game. One LeBron James chase-down block to change the game. That’s what OKC is up against,” Green proclaimed.
It’s impossible to predict these moments before the game as keys to victory. However, Green was able to list one big area that the Pacers could make their presence felt through Pascal Siakam.
“We need one of those Pascal Siakam 14-point first quarters,” Green said. The 6-foot-9 has been amazing this series, averaging 19.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He finished with 7 points in the first quarter in Game 6. Green believes Siakam needs to replicate that production and then some to give Indiana an edge.
All the cards are on the table, and it will come down to which team wants it more. A new NBA champion will be crowned on Sunday, June 22, at 8 PM ET.
