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Chet Holmgren Has NBA Finals Performance Not Seen Since Hall of Famer Tim Duncan

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andy Patton | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 3:17 PM ET

Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions, defeating the plucky Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday by a score of 103-91.

Holmgren had a strong game on both sides of the ball, scoring 18 points on 6-8 shooting with eight rebounds and five blocks, making key defensive stops down the stretch to keep the Pacers at arm's length.

While the former Gonzaga star struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 3-19 from three in the series, he was his trademark self around the rim - particularly on defense.

Not only did Holmgren record the most rebounds and blocks in the NBA Finals, his 11 blocked shots makes him the youngest player with 10 or more blocks in a finals series since the great Tim Duncan did it back in 2005 when San Antonio defeated Detroit in seven games.

Additionally, Holmgren's 43 total playoff blocks makes him the youngest player with 40+ blocks in the playoffs since Serge Ibaka racked up 52 in 17 games back in 2011.

Chet Holmgren this playoffs:

— 15.2 PPG
— 8.7 RPG
— 1.9 BPG
— Led Finals in plus/minus
— Led Finals in rebounds
— Led Finals in blocks (tied)
— Youngest with 40+ playoff BLK since Ibaka
— Youngest with over 10 Finals BLK since Duncan

Odee. pic.twitter.com/gyRoqtQxzH
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 23, 2025

All told, the former No. 2 overall pick averaged 12.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 30.4 minutes across the seven game series, racking up two double-doubles while coming just one point short in Game 5 and two rebounds short in Game 7.

"He affects the game at a high level every night, tonight was no different," teammate and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 7. "He was everywhere, blocking shots, rotating, switching on guards. He’s amazing and so much more room to grow."

Holmgren became the fourth Gonzaga player to win an NBA championship, joining Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, and Austin Daye. Chet is also the first Gonzaga player to start for a championship team.

John Stockton and Andrew Nembhard both started for teams that ultimately lost in the finals, while Kelly Olynyk was a key reserve for a Miami team that lost to the Lakers in 2020.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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