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The Oklahoma City Thunder earn their first-ever championship with a win on Thursday. However, it will be far from an easy task. The Indiana Pacers are also looking for their franchise’s first-ever title, and backed by their most loyal fans in what will be an absolutely rockin’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they will do whatever they can to force a Game 7. The biggest storyline of the game is the health and readiness of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. After suffering a calf strain in Game 5, he is questionable for Game 6. Even if he does play, how effective can he be? Keys to the Game – OKC Stopping TJ McConnell  – As silly as it sounds, TJ McConnell is arguably the Pacers’ most important player right now. With Haliburton’s injury, McConnell needs to continue to be elite for Indy. That’s why it’s crucial that OKC finds a way to slow him down. He dropped 18, 4, and 4 last game—which isn’t crazy—but he disrupted the Thunder both offensively and defensively all night. They need to find a way to neutralize him. Bench Help  – Just like in Game 5, Oklahoma City’s bench success will dictate the team’s success. Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins went a combined 7-for-11 from three, which is very unlikely to happen again—especially on the road—but if they can knock a few down, that would go a long way. Alex Caruso was a menace on the defensive end, per usual, but his offense was a bit under par. Road players typically play worse on the road, but the Thunder need theirs in this one. Start Fast  – If the Thunder can win the first quarter by 10+ points, that will quiet the crowd and demoralize Indiana. They cannot let Indy win the first quarter, because everyone knows how hard it is to pull off a comeback on the road—especially in the playoffs. Yes, the Thunder did it in Game 4, and the Pacers do it all the time, but it is definitely not something you can count on. Don’t Let Them Get Hot  – When the Pacers are shooting the ball well, they are lethal . Allowing them to start feeling it early by knocking down a few threes will certainly make it much more difficult for OKC. They need to get out on shooters ASAP, and their rotations need to be as fast as a bullet to eliminate those corner threes that the Pacers are so deadly with. Keys to the Game – Indy Tyrese Haliburton  – The biggest (and most obvious) factor to Pacers’ success on Thursday is their leader, Tyrese Haliburton. He played one of his worst games of the season in the most important game of the season. He did suffer a right calf strain, and currently, he is listed as a game-time decision. The Pacers need  him. If he doesn’t play, it will certainly be much more difficult to beat this elite OKC team. Even if he does play, he likely won’t be as effective as he normally is, as demonstrated in Game 5. But if any team can pull off a win without their star, it’s the Indiana Pacers. Role Players  – With Tyrese being out or playing through an injury, there’s never been a time this team needed their role players more than now. They’re gonna need Toppin, Mathurin, Nesmith, Nembhard, and obviously McConnell to be locked and loaded. If they don’t show up, there is no chance Indiana pulls this off. It’s the biggest game of their careers. Time to see if the lights are too bright. Defense  – After a poor defensive showing in Game 5, Coach Carlisle needs to make some adjustments. I don't care how tired his guys are—they need to be full-court pressing SGA and JDub all game. Nesmith had a very poor night last time out, letting Williams drop 40 on his head. Nembhard was good, slowing Shai down to only 9-for-21 from the field, but he needs to be draped all over him Thursday night. If the Pacers can hold OKC to fewer than 100, they’ll be in great shape. If not—considering the Thunder’s historic defense and the fact that Haliburton won’t be 100%—it’ll be a long night for the Pacers. Mental  – This game will test the focus and mental strength of every player on the court. It is absolutely critical that the Pacers don’t let their emotions get too high or too low, no matter what happens. The Thunder are great at that, and we know they will be focused for all 48 minutes. They can’t think about how their season is over if they lose, and they can’t think about how they’re one win away from being champions if they win. They can’t feel pressure to deliver in front of their home fans, or that their best player needs them to carry him. We haven’t seen them in an elimination game yet this postseason—just focus on playing basketball. Prediction This is the biggest game in the history of the Oklahoma City Thunder and  the Indiana Pacers. Both teams will come to play, and both teams will give it their absolute 100%. The Pacers will have the arena on their side (besides me), and all the energy will be pouring into them. However, the Thunder outmatch the Pacers in every way, and they want to end this. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will cement his legacy with one of the greatest seasons in history, Jalen Williams will continue his elite play, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort will play the best defense of their lives, Alex Caruso and the bench will do absolutely anything to get his second ring, and most of all, the entire fanbase will do anything to support this team. The boys are ready to bring it home. I predict the Oklahoma City Thunder will become NBA Champions on Thursday night. Find Owen Pannell on X here. Shop the Official NBA Store here.

Thunder win 120-109 Postgame report - OKC The Oklahoma City Thunder came to PLAY tonight. Jalen Williams had the game of his career, dropping 40 points on 14/25 from the field. He knew OKC needed him and was not scared of the bright lights. SGA had an inefficient 31 points, going 9/21, but his impact went far beyond scoring tonight. Dishing out a smooth 10 assists (Haliburton had 6) and putting up 6 (!!!) stocks. However the biggest key to the Thunder victory was their 3 point shooting. After the abysmal 3/16 in game 4, they shot 14/32 tonight. That really shows the difference home court advantage has in these playoffs. Oklahoma City’s bench came up huge tonight, which was a must after they did not show up in Indy. Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace combined for 25 points, and Wallace and Alex Caruso came out with 4 steals each! Chet Holmgren had a poor night offensively, but his defensive impact was absolutely enormous. He was an elite rim protector all night (other than getting posterized by Aaron Nesmith) and pulled down 11 rebounds. The total team defense from OKC was just incredible tonight, forcing an astounding 22 turnovers, and holding Tyrese Haliburton to 4 points and 0/6 from the field (special thanks to Lu Dort). Last but not least, the crowd. Even through the TV screen, you could just feel the insane energy in the Paycom Center. They brought the energy and momentum swings the Thunder needed to close out this game in the 4th when the Pacers were trying to make one of their classic comebacks. Without them this game could’ve gone far differently. If Oklahoma City can bring this type of game to Indy on Thursday, they should have their first title in history.  Postgame report - Indiana Well, it's safe to say this wasn’t the game the Pacers wanted. Tyrese Haliburton did not show up when he was needed, posting an atrocious 4 points on 0 made field goals (100% of his points were free throws for all y’all Shai haters). Pascal Siakam did have a very efficient 28 points, though with 6 turnover, his efforts were not enough for the Pacers tonight. They went away from their full court press for most of the game, which had been working so well the past couple games, so that might’ve been a blunder on Coach Carlisle. A key to their success tonight was the turnover battle, and they had twice the amount of turnovers as OKC (22-11), and that is not a winning formula. TJ McConnell did all he could to propel them to victory with his ELITE 3rd quarter, but basketball is a team game and Siakam and McConnell did not have much help out there tonight. Aaron Nesmith had an elite shooting night, going ⅘ from 3, but his defense was not on the level it usually was. As the primary defender on Jalen Williams, he needed to be better. Other than the 3rd quarter, Indiana had a very poor night of basketball, and they need to bring their absolute best ball on Thursday to try and force a game 7. Don’t expect them to go out without a fight. Find Owen Pannell on X here. Shop the Official NBA Store here.

A way from the hustle and bustle of major cities like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles lies a city many sleep on. It’s rarely mentioned on tv or in the movies, and, generally speaking, it's a quiet city.   Oklahoma City is not the first city that comes to mind when you think of American cities. And perhaps its residents prefer it that way. Not too much happens there, so it’s understandable for that to be the case. With two major universities within a couple hours of each other, college athletics leave the state pretty divided amongst itself.   However, Oklahoma City does have one thing that can bring even the greatest college rivals together in unity. For forty-eight minutes on any given day or night between October and June, the entire state comes together to root for the only major sports team in Oklahoma.  The Oklahoma City Thunder, established in 2008 after the relocation from Seattle, has seen multiple HOFers on its roster. Names like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden come to mind, along with later additions of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. Then came 2020, the “bubble year,” and after trading away the last superstar on the roster, Russell Westbrook, the past offseason, it was time to accept the rebuild was officially underway.  Now, there are numerous articles about the historic 2024-25 Thunder team. The numbers they have recorded through the regular season and postseason put them in discussion to be one of the best teams in NBA history. However, there is one aspect of this team you just don't find many articles about. Oklahoma City is known for being one of the most difficult places to play on the road, but it's not just because of the 18 players on the roster (including 2-way contracts). In addition to the players on the court, road teams must face 18,203 of the best fans in the country. Oklahoma City is a one sport city, which means the fans put everything they have into disrupting the opponent's rhythm.   Though the fanbase is made up of a diverse group of people, they have one common goal: to wear down the visitors so much that they have no energy left to play the game.   Each team has a fanbase that tries to do this, but with there only being one team in town, the environment the fans create is second to none in the league. The Thunder players act more like family than coworkers, and likewise, the fans act like family, too. If you wanna see sports, go anywhere, but if you wanna feel like family, come to this quiet city away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life; because on gameday, it's “Loud City.”  Find Isaac Magar on X here . Shop the Official NBA Store here.

The Memphis Grizzlies have struck a deal with the Orlando Magic to send Desmond Bane down to the Sunshine State. Get the details below. Trade : Magic get: Desmond Bane Grizzlies get: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Cole Anthony 16th overall pick 3 unprotected FRPs FRP swap Magic- B Getting Desmond Bane was a great IDEA for the Magic, but not necessarily the right move. He is a great fit, coming off a season averaging 19 points and 5 assists per game on nearly 40% from three and 40% from the field, he fits the Magic’ desperate need of offense. He has shown potential to be a good combo guard, which is exactly what Orlando needs to pair with Suggs in the backcourt. Another positive of this addition is he is locked up for the next 4 years, which goes locks their core down for a while. A downside of that is they are right up to the deadly 2nd apron, which puts them in a tough spot if this core doesn’t work. However, like every trade, this is not a perfect trade for the Magic. They gave 4 unprotected first round picks, including a very valuable 2026 Suns first, plus a swap. Not even mentioning good role players in KCP and Cole Anthony. They likely could have gotten a better guard than Bane for a little more than that package, such Derrick White, Trae Young, or Darius Garland. Overall, this trade puts the Magic as contenders in the ‘wide open’ Eastern Conference, and adds offense to a team that has had an elite defense but poor offense, so it’s a solid move. Grizzlies- A Memphis has tried the Morant-Bane backcourt for a few years at this point, and it never got them past the 2nd round. Yes it hurts to get rid of a great player like Desmond Bane, but they sold high on him and got a GREAT return. Now, they have the option of blowing it all up, selling Jaren Jackson Jr and Ja Morant to the highest bidder, or use these added assets to go get another All Star to pair with Morant and JJJ. The latter, in my opinion, would be the right move. They have a good roster and with the right addition could be contenders in the absolutely loaded Western Conference. They have a few options on who to target, but Domantas Sabonis or DeMar DeRozan from the Kings would be good pickups, or they could possibly take a swing at one of the Celtics guys, such as Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, or Kristaps Porzingis. The options are there for the Grizzlies, they just have to make the right move. Find Owen Pannell on X here . Shop the Official NBA Store here.