Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams said the thought of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals "makes the hair on your arm stand up a little bit."
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle called it "a time to celebrate."
On Sunday night, the Thunder and Pacers will square off in Oklahoma City in a decisive game to end a back-and-forth series.
The Thunder are looking for their first title since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The franchise won the 1979 title in Seattle.
Indiana is looking for its first NBA championship, though the Pacers won three ABA titles, the most recent of which came in 1973.
This will be the 20th NBA Finals Game 7 in league history and the first since the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors on the road in 2016.
"As you go on in your competitive life in sports, what you learn is that these moments are rare and trying to duplicate this kind of situation is something that you look to do in everyday life," said Carlisle, who coached the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 title. "It's not easy to do that. I'm very much looking forward to Game 7."
Home teams are 15-4 in the previous matchups.
"You've got to be able to weather the storm with those momentum-swinging plays, try to create momentum-stopping plays when you're on the road," Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton said.
The Pacers enter with momentum after Thursday's 108-91 win in Game 6 in Indianapolis.
Haliburton was a big reason for that, with 14 points and five assists after a calf strain left him as a game-time decision.
Haliburton said he remained stiff and sore but said he was ready to go for Sunday's game after playing just 23 minutes Thursday.
Oklahoma City has yet to lose back-to-back games in the playoffs after dropping consecutive games just twice during the regular season.
The Thunder are 10-2 at home during the playoffs and have yet to lose the turnover battle at home.
In Game 6, Indiana forced 21 turnovers while committing just 11.
"The truth is that nothing else previous to this matters at all now," Carlisle said. "We're just down to one game and one opportunity. We're really looking forward to it."
Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's Most Valuable Player, had a career-playoff-worst eight turnovers in Game 6.
"No matter how big the moment or the game, it always comes back to the same things," he said. "... It always goes back to the things that we know we can control every night. When we do those things, we look like a pretty good team. When we don't do those things, we look like a bad team."
For the Thunder, it'll be their second Game 7 in these playoffs.
Oklahoma City beat Denver 125-93 at home May 18 to win its second-round series.
While Williams said there are lessons to be taken from that game, particularly in handling the emotional swings, he also acknowledges the difference.
"You're anxious going into it," he said. "Honestly, it's a little indescribable because I haven't (played in a Finals Game 7). It's hard to give a good answer because this Game 7 is going to be completely different from the last one we played in."
While the Pacers haven't played a Game 7 yet this postseason, they did beat the New York Knicks in Game 7 of last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
The Los Angeles Lakers took an upside swing on Jalen Hood-Schifino with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, hoping the Indiana lead guard could develop into a ball-handler and playmaker. Hood-Schifino showed promise in college as a freshman, though the understanding was that it would take time for him to develop at the professional level. It was a curious selection at the time given that the Lakers have never operated with a lead guard like Hood-Schifino while LeBron James was on the roster. Also, players like Jamie Jaquez Jr. and Cam Whitmore were still available on the board when Los Angeles decided to go with Hood-Schifino. Suffice to say, Hood-Schifino’s rookie year in Los Angeles was muted as he failed to see the floor and saw his season cut short due to a back injury. Entering his sophomore season, there was some optimism that the guard could show more of what he could do with better health. Unfortunately, it was more of the same for the young guard as he failed to crack head coach JJ Redick’s rotation and found himself riding the bench. Hood-Schifino did end up being a useful piece for Los Angeles, though it came in the form of a trade as he was a part of the three-team deal that brought the purple and gold Luka Doncic. Hood-Schifino was sent to the Utah Jazz but did not appear in a game for them as he was subsequently waived. He went on to sign a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and finished the 2024-25 season with the organization. It was a disappointing end to Hood-Schifino’s short tenure with Los Angeles, but the guard now gets an opportunity to develop behind the scenes with another team. 2024-25 Highlight While Hood-Schifino only appeared in two games for the Lakers during the regular season, he got more minutes for a ravaged 76ers team that was looking to tank in the second half of the year. After signing his two-way deal, Hood-Schfino went on to score a career-high 19 points in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. He had his most complete game later in the regular season when he recorded 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in a loss to Toronto Raptors. 2025-26 Outlook Hood-Schifino will likely see more time in the G League when Philadelphia is fully healthy, though he could get called up to serve as depth throughout the year.
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.