NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the 2024-25 NBA champs, but will they truly feel like it behind closed doors?
Game 7 was set to be epic, and that’s the way it started until Tyrese Halliburton went down with an injury in the first quarter. Needless to say, he would not return. From there, it was just a matter of time until the game clock hit zeros and the Thunder was ready to celebrate.
But as with any fan of any sport, they look for any reason to add an asterisk next to anything. While unfair, the Thunder will have to celebrate, then go home and listen to every sportscaster question the validity of their title.
Let’s be honest here, a win is a win. Injuries happen, unfortunately, it happened at the wrong time for the Pacers. But what were the Oklahoma City Thunder supposed to do, stop the game and wait a year until Halliburton was healed, or lose the game just because? No, the goal is to win. They were going to take heat no matter what happened. If they lose, then how could they lose with Haliburton out? If they won, well, here we are now.
They will get their rings, but the questions will still come. What if Haliburton never got injured? Would they have beaten the Pacers straight up? A majority will say yes, and a portion will say no. Let’s be honest, the fans of the Pacers will be in the latter group of things and rightfully so. This will be one of those hard pills to swallow.
It’s a damn shame that injuries happen. This Finals was a great one. Both teams were healthy, playing great team basketball, and Game 7 was sure to be a dog fight. Now, as great a season as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had, his first championship will be tarnished with questions and an asterisk from a large portion of the sports world. Is it unfair? Yes, but just as injuries go, it’s also part of the game.
This is what the Toronto Raptors had to face when they beat a hobbled Golden State Warriors team, or when the Warriors beat a hobbled Cleveland Cavaliers team. It comes with the territory. Just so happens that this was a winner-take-all Game 7 with everything on the line.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ran through the regular season and did all they could do to finish the year as the best team in the NBA. They did their part. They walked away with the best record in the league, walked away with the league MVP, and now, they are the champions. However, that will not stop fans and analysts from putting an asterisk next to this title.
As a basketball fan, it would have been nice to see these two teams finish the game the way the series started, with all players healthy. But life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. This offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder will face the questions, same questions as the Pacers. All the players will say the right things as they should but still, deep down, we all will be thinking the same thing–what if?
