Honestly, if you missed the 2025 NBA Finals, you missed the end of a dynasty and the birth of a terrifying new one. It wasn't the usual suspects. No LeBron in June. No Steph. Not even the Celtics repeating like everyone and their mother predicted.
So, who won the NBA last year? The Oklahoma City Thunder did.
They took down the Indiana Pacers in a grueling seven-game series that ended on June 22, 2025. It was the first time since 2016 that a Finals went the full seven. Usually, these things feel like a foregone conclusion by Game 5, but this was different. The Thunder, led by a relentless Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, finally brought a trophy to OKC. Technically, it’s the franchise's second title if you count the 1979 Seattle SuperSonics win, but for the people in Oklahoma, this was the real "first."
How OKC Actually Did It
It wasn’t just luck. The Thunder finished the regular season with a monstrous 68-14 record. That’s tied for the sixth-most wins in NBA history. They weren't just winning; they were beating teams by an average of 12.9 points. That literally broke the 1971-72 Lakers' record for point differential.
Basically, they were a buzzsaw.
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But the Finals were a total dogfight. The Indiana Pacers, who came in as massive underdogs with a 50-32 record, refused to die. They had already set a record with five 15-point comebacks during the playoffs. In Game 1, they actually stunned OKC at home when Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winner.
The momentum swung back and forth like a pendulum. Game 7 was the clincher, a 103-91 victory for the Thunder at the Paycom Center. It was loud. Deafening, really.
SGA Is In A Different Stratosphere Now
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't just win; he dominated the history books. He became the first player in 25 years to win the regular-season MVP, the scoring title, and the Finals MVP all in the same season. The last guy to do something similar was Shaq or maybe Curry depending on how you slice the stats, but SGA’s 2025 was unique.
In that final Game 7, he put up:
- 29 points
- 12 assists
- 5 rebounds
He was the engine. When the Pacers tried to double-team him, he just found Jalen Williams (who dropped 20 in the finale) or Chet Holmgren. Chet was a nightmare for Indiana's interior, especially after the Pacers lost Haliburton to a heartbreaking Achilles tear in the first quarter of Game 7.
Why This Championship Matters For The League
We are officially in the era of parity. The 2025 Finals crowned the seventh unique champion in seven years. That is the longest stretch of different winners in the history of the NBA. The "superteam" era where you could just pencil in the Warriors or the Heat is dead and buried.
This series was also the "Small Market Bowl."
Indianapolis and Oklahoma City are the 22nd and 26th largest TV markets in the league. It was the smallest market matchup since 2007. No big-city bias, just pure basketball.
Also, it was the first Finals in the salary cap era (since 2002) where neither team paid a luxury tax. Sam Presti basically built a championship team out of draft picks and smart trades without lighting a pile of money on fire. That’s going to change how every GM in the league operates for the next decade.
The Paul George Connection
Kinda wild when you think about it—both these teams were built on the back of trading Paul George.
OKC got Shai for George in that massive Clippers haul.
The Pacers eventually turned the pieces from their George trade into Tyrese Haliburton.
It’s like the ghost of PG-13 was hovering over the entire series.
What Most Fans Missed
Everyone talks about the scoring, but OKC’s defense was the actual reason they won. They had Alex Caruso and Lu Dort hounding people on the perimeter. Caruso led the playoffs in steals, and Dort spent most of the Knicks series making Jalen Brunson’s life miserable.
The Pacers’ run was also legendary, even in a loss. Bennedict Mathurin came alive in the Finals, scoring a team-high 24 points in Game 7. If Haliburton hadn't gone down, who knows? The Pacers were the kings of the comeback, and they almost pulled off the ultimate upset against a team that won 18 more games than them in the regular season.
Actionable Takeaways For The 2026 Season
If you're looking at the current landscape, here is what you need to keep in mind:
- Watch the "Young" Teams: OKC is still one of the youngest teams in the league. They aren't going anywhere.
- The MVP Race: SGA has the target on his back now. Expect Luka Dončić or a healthy Giannis to come out swinging this year to reclaim the throne.
- Betting Trends: Last year proved that regular-season dominance (the +12.9 point differential) actually translates to titles, even if the Finals get messy.
- Injury Management: The Pacers' collapse after Haliburton's injury shows that depth only matters until your superstar's Achilles snaps. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the aging stars in Phoenix and LA.
The 2024-25 season was a shift in the tectonic plates of basketball. The Thunder are the kings, and everyone else is just trying to figure out how to stop Shai.