The Oklahoma City Thunder are the new champions of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Thunder defeated the fighting Indiana Pacers 103:91 in the decisive game number 7 of this year’s League Finals. The victory of the best team in the Western Conference for the regular season came after the injury of Tyrese Halliburton, who left the court in the first quarter. With or without Halli, Indiana ended up on the losing side, but it gave a fight to the favorite for the trophy and it is necessary to give both the winner and the loser their due.

But first of all, a few words about the OKC. Led by regular-season NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder didn't let themselves suffer a huge disappointment in front of their home crowd. They took full advantage of Halliburton's injury, who started the game hot – three of his four three-pointers were successful. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists, although he was far from his best days in terms of shooting percentage – 8/27, and 2/12 from behind the arc. Oklahoma again relied on a balanced offense, which was also present in the seventh game of the final series – Jalen Williams (20), Chet Holmgren (18), Alex Caruso (10) and Cason Wallace (10), scored 10+ points for the decisive victory.

But it wasn't just the Thunder's offense that was impressive all season. The team's defense kept both phases of the game operating at a very high level for most of the campaign. In the final game against the Pacers, Oklahoma finished with 14 steals and 8 turnovers, five of which were on Holmgren's account. "Offense wins games, defense wins titles" is a famous saying that was true for Oklahoma. It was true for the first title in the Thunder era.

Indiana was also fighting for this coveted title. With an experienced specialist at the helm in Rick Carlisle, who became a champion with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, the Pacers demonstrated that the role of an outsider does not suit them and for another series they gave their opponent a great fight. Indy surprised many with its game this season, but with each match it confirmed one thing – that no matter how a given game develops, the team is ready to give its maximum and, through its strong team, to strike when the opponents least expect it. The Pacers' efforts were enough to reach Game 7 in the finals. Carlisle and company lost Halliburton at the very beginning of the seventh game and time cannot be turned back. All the question marks about how the match would have developed with a healthy Halliburton are unnecessary. But Tyrese's performance is a starting point for what Indiana has done this season.

The very fact that the guard was in the conversation for MVP in the Finals clearly demonstrates that anyone who underestimated his qualities was simply mistaken. Halliburton won several games for Indiana with decisive baskets and showed that he can play under pressure even on the biggest possible stage. It should not be overlooked that he started the seventh game with an injury that did not prevent him from playing strongly in the sixth. However, Halliburton's right leg gave out after seven minutes of play in the first quarter, and all those 7s, which are usually associated with happiness because of the number 7, were not lucky for him or for the entire Indiana team. This first coveted title eluded them, and the pain of "if Halliburton had been healthy and had played the whole game, what would have happened" additionally adds to the Pacers' pain.

The question marks are indeed left aside, but Indiana made three times more mistakes than its opponent after the injury of its leader - 21 against 7. This is a fact. The Oklahoma title is also a fact, another MVP award for Gilgeous-Alexander, the joy of the entire city. Yes, there are always happy and upset people after the NBA Finals, after such a battle that few expected. The Thunder have a young and capable team that will give it a go for another triumph next year as well. Indiana has shown that with team play, dreams can be fulfilled. But now it's Oklahoma's time to live out their dream come true. | BGNES

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Stefan Ignatov, BGNES Sports Department