Glory or devastation awaits the Thunder and Pacers in Game 7

OKLAHOMA CITY — Nine years ago, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers polished off the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history with a grinding Game 7 road win over Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors. That titanic contest featured an iconic chase-down block by James and a game-sealing jumper by Kyrie Irving that spoiled the Warriors’ record 73-win regular season. James wept after the final buzzer, and the Warriors got right to work recruiting Kevin Durant.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night in the first NBA Finals Game 7 since that unforgettable showdown in 2016. So much time has passed since the last winner-takes-all affair that none of the Thunder’s players were in the NBA when James led the Cavaliers to their first title.

“I don’t remember that [Finals], to be honest,” forward Jalen Williams said. “I was probably at an AAU tournament. When you’re 15 [years old], you miss a lot of what’s going on. You’re more worried about your favorite player. Kobe [Bryant] wasn’t playing, so I didn’t really care.”

The Cavaliers’ comeback was hardly the first big moment in NBA history to occur in Game 7 of the Finals. In 1969, Jerry West secured Finals MVP honors with a 42-point triple-double even though his Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in the final game of Bill Russell’s career. A year later, Willis Reed hobbled onto the court to help inspire the New York Knicks to their first championship. Bryant’s Lakers got revenge on the rival Celtics in 2010 after falling to them in the Finals two years earlier. And James’s Miami Heat finished off the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 after Ray Allen’s three-pointer from the corner staved off elimination in Game 6.

LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title in 2016, the last year that the NBA Finals reached a deciding Game 7.

The Thunder and Pacers will try to add to that legacy when they close a highly competitive series at Paycom Center. Though Oklahoma City entered the series heavily favored to win its first championship since it relocated from Seattle in 2008, it has outscored Indiana by just seven points through six games: 662-655.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton set the tone for the tense matchup with a last-second game-winner in the opener, and the Thunder replied with a clutch performance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 4 to reclaim home-court advantage. Facing elimination in Game 6, Indiana played its best game of the series in a blowout win.

Now the Thunder’s winningest season, highlighted by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s first MVP award, and the Pacers’ remarkable postseason run, which has featured four game-winning or game-tying shots by Haliburton, will end in glory or devastation.

The Thunder is counting on home-court advantage to be a pivotal factor: Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and Oklahoma City got a taste of Game 7 success by eliminating Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center in the Western Conference semifinals.

“You’re in your complete comfort zone,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You’re in your own bed. You have shoot-around at your building. You eat your pregame meal from your chef. It’s very comfortable, the whole flow to the day, and then the crowd is behind you. They give you energy, whether you’re up or down.”

No team this season won at home more often — or by more points — than Oklahoma City: The Thunder went 35-6 during the regular season at Paycom Center and sports a 10-2 home record in the playoffs. Oklahoma City has compiled a stunning average margin of plus-20.6 points at home during its playoff run, and each of its losses came on a game-winning shot in the closing seconds.

Perhaps the biggest difference for the Thunder at home has been the effectiveness of its complementary scorers. Oklahoma City has averaged 121.9 points at Paycom Center during the postseason compared with 107.2 points while going 5-5 in 10 road games. The Thunder has shot 37.5 percent on three-pointers at home, far better than its dreadful 29.9 percent mark on the road.

Hoping to fuel those trends, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt encouraged fans to get to their seats one hour before tip-off and to remain standing throughout Game 7.

The underdog Pacers, who are 7-4 on the road in the playoffs, will step into the cauldron comforted by the memory of their Game 1 victory over the Thunder and a Game 7 triumph over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. After playing through a calf strain to spark Indiana’s Game 6 victory, Haliburton said Saturday he was still a “little sore” but would play in Game 7.

“I think the expectations for this group from an external viewpoint coming into the year weren’t very high,” he said. “They weren’t very high coming into the playoffs. They weren’t very high going into the second round of the playoffs. They weren’t very high going into the third round. They aren’t very high now. I think we just have done a great job of just staying together. I’m really excited to compete with these guys in a Game 7. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Indiana is seeking its first championship since it joined the NBA from the American Basketball Association in 1976. If the 50-win Pacers deny the 68-win Thunder, they would complete one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history.

“I love pressure,” Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said. “As you go on in your competitive life in sport, you learn that these moments are rare. Trying to duplicate this kind of situation is something that you look to do in everyday life. It’s not easy to do that. These are special moments for both teams, for our league and for worldwide interest in the game. It’s a time to celebrate.”