Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder Towards the ring of the NBA after winning the seventh game of the finals for 103-91 to the Indiana Pacerswho lost their star Tyrese Haliburton for injury in the first quarter. The American base was miserable in a very unfortunate play with 16-16 on the scoreboard and the Achilles could have broken. This injury hurt the rest of the match to Indiana.
It is about First ring in Oklahoma for Thunderalthough this franchise won the title in 1979 when they played as the Supersonics in Seattle. The championship closed a majestic season for the Thunder after being first of the West with a magnificent 68-14, the best balance of the league. Covered in a suffocating defense that by numbers is among the best in the history of the NBAthe Thunder counted in attack with an excellent Shai that, after winning the MVP of the regular season, the MVP of the finals.
But the triumph of those led by Mark Daigneault is also the success of a template full of resources and scandalously young starting with the essentials Jalen Williams y Chet Holmgrenwhich complete the big three con Shaiand without forgetting Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, etc.
In addition, the Ring culminated an ambitious reconstruction process of Sam Presti, general manager of the franchise and who in addition to the title treasures a huge booty of draft elections. The present and the future seem bright in Okholohan, which aspires to start a new dynasty in the NBA. Instead, the Pacers, The amazing and unforgettable team of the epic comebacks and the impossible miracles with an ultra -fensive style, remained at the gates of his first title of the NBA (He has three of the ABA) and also suffered the most cruel possible end.
Haliburtonwith discomfort in the right twin during all the finals, broke into the first quarter With what seems like a very serious injury, an overwhelming image and that torn the dream of a state, Indiana, in which basketball is venerated as a religion. Faithful to his dogma to never give up, those of Rick Carlisle They resisted without Haliburton to the third quarterwhen the Thunder took the hammer with a partial of 34-20.
Shai was Oklahoma's top scorer with 29 points (8 of 27 in shots, 11 of 12 from the personnel line), 5 rebounds and 12 assists. He was accompanied by Williams (20 points) and Holmgren (18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 caps). The defense was the key to the night with 14 robberies, 8 caps and 23 losses caused to Indiana (32 points). Bennedict Mathurin (24 points and 13 rebounds) and Pascal Siakam and TJ McConnell (16 points each) led Indiana.
The Paycom Center by Oklahoma City, one of the most noisy stages of the NBA, He presented an extraordinary atmosphere – including enough Indiana – to close Finals with a seventh encounter for the first time since 2016 And that have been a gift for basketball lovers thanks to two cities overturned with their teams.
Haliburton's misfortune
In one of those indicated days of those that cimiend legends, Haliburton started to the maximum of revolutions with three triples in five minutes who put fear in the body in Oklahoma. But shortly after the misfortune came. The great base received a ball in front of Shai and walked a triple before putting the ball on the track, but then He failed his right leg completely and ended up falling with a shout of pain.
The image was chilling. His companions, after the immediate dead time with 4.55 in the first quarter, surrounded Haliburton while the Paycom Center stayed for a moment in silence. After, The entire pavilion reacted with an ovation while the player, shattered, retired to the locker room Without being able to support the leg and with a towel hiding his face covered in tears.
Waiting for the official diagnosis, Haliburton's injury reminded the recent Achilles tendon breaks by Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks) or the one that Kevin Durant suffered in the 2019 finals with the Golden State Warriors. But whoever thought that the Pacers were going to throw in the towel is that he has not learned anything from the indomitable character of Rick Carlisle's.
On the contrary, nerve management began to affect the Oklahoma City Thunderwho carried the weight of being favorites and playing at home in front of some Pacers now with anything to lose. With all this, Oklahoma's attack was a fright in the first half. Oxidized and rough, without rhythm or ideas and with a lousy success from the perimeter (4 of 18, 22.2 %), the offensive of Mark Daigneault shipwrecked in the first two rooms and the pangers, with a tremendous merit to cling to the game without Halibton, they landed in the intermediate ahead (47-48) after a triple of Andrew Nembhard.
Siakam (10 points) was the referent of some Pacers who committed 9 ball losses while Shai (16 points and 7 assists) assumed responsibility in some thunder to those who satly the irruption of Alex Caruso as a substitute (8 points and 3 robberies).
Logic ends with sleep
Indiana He had raised a monument to the epic, his nth appeal to a chimera, but the logic was imposed on the resumption. The third quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder It was all that is expected of a champion team: an overwhelming defense, loading the offensive rebound, finally successfully from the triple and with shai squires.
Both for sensations and partial 18-8Rick Carlisle asked for two dead times in a row because the game drained in his hands (65-56 with 7.16 on the clock). He still had to resort to a third before closing the room when Oklahoma first exceeded +10. That period was a monologue from Okholohan, that shook to Indiana with a 34-20 that left the ring practically sentenced (81-68). The locals put 5 of 13 in triples and caused no less than 8 losses of the Pacers, which meant 18 points.
Williams (9 points) and Holmgren (7) and supported Shai (6) While McConnell, as the last standing soldier with the flag in a practically lost battle, was the last resistance dike with 12 of the 20 points of his team. So far the fairy tale came Indiana While Oklahoma, despite some nerves in the last minutes, raised the title after memorable finals and with two teams for memory.
