OKC Thunder Share Thoughts on Game 7 of NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder are entering a Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers. This is unchartered territory for the OKC Thunder, but for the first time, this lack of experience is shared –– by most of the league.

The NBA hasn't seen a Game 7 in the Finals since 2016 when the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. No one on either side knows what it is like at this exact stage. However, the Pacers went to a Game 7 last year in the second round against Isaiah Hartenstein's Knicks and hte Thunder went to a Game 7 in this year's second round against the Denver Nuggets.

This game will take place in the Paycom Center on Sunday night, a byproduct of the Thunder's dominant regular season that reached historic heights and made them heavy favorites entering this series. Now, the OKC Thunder have to stave off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.

No matter the results, Sunday night will be historic in Oklahoma City a rare feat as the NBA Finals get pushed to a Game 7 for just the 20th time in league history.

"It's a privilege. It's a privilege for everybody that gets to participate. It's an unbelievable thing and an unbelievable experience. Both teams have earned the opportunity to experience that," Head Coach Mark Daigneault. "We're going to enjoy it. We're going to throw our best punch. Go out there and be who we are. But it's a privilege to play in a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. No one is skipping that in this whole thing. But once the ball goes up in the air, the game is still going to come down to the same things and we have to be able to focus on that, despite the fact that we are grateful for the opportunity."

Both teams should be feeling good heading into Game 7. Sure, the Pacers have a boost after shellacking the Thunder in Game 6, but ultimately, all that matters are these 48 minutes. This is where legends are made and legacies are defined.

"It's a really good opportunity. Really exciting opportunity. A dream come true, this. Above all, I try to look at it as a blessing and an opportunity, and then go out there and try to be the best version of myself. I think that's what we need to do and what we have to do across the board. Don't try to do anything spectacular. Don't try to do anything that you haven't done before, or be less than what you've been. Just be who you are and what got you here," NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.

It can be hard to keep a Game 7 in perspective, nothing feels bigger than the do-or-die desperation on both sides. It is the closest the NBA can get a Super Bowl where a champion gets defined on one day, you either have it that night or you don't.

That makes it a challenge for players, coaches, media and fans to keep emotions in check, remembering that at the end of the day for 48 minutes between the whistles it is just a basketball game that these teams have already played over 100 of to this point.

"You try to make it as binary as possible. You either going to win or lose. That is literally what's going to happen. The season is going to be over and you're going to be champion, or you're going to lose and start from square one. You might as well go out and put your best forward and compete your ass off and play hard for your teammates and try and win," Defensive Ace Alex Caruso said.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers have a unique opportunity to create magic, memories and moments that will live on forever. A chance at a title.

"You know, it's all special. Every game all the way through, when you're in the moment of it, it's hard to kind of grasp it but thinking all the way back to the first game we played this year and how long ago that was, and now we are going to play the last game of the season tomorrow, it's crazy to think about. But we have to put all our focus on just preparing for being our best tomorrow," Rising Star Chet Holmgren said.

This is the biggest game in Thunder and Pacers history. With each franchise aiming for its first NBA Championship, neither side has been 48 minutes from the trophy until now. How they handle those nerves will define this season, this series and the rest of their lives.