It was a moment of relief and excitement and pride all rolled into one. For the first time in franchise history since the team moved to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are NBA Champions after they defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals by a score of 103-91. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walked off the court for the final time of the season and embraced his coach with a big smile. He certainly deserved the Finals MVP award as he scored 29 points with 5 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 7 alone. The last time the Thunder won the NBA title was back in 1979 when they were still the Seattle SuperSonics.
For the Pacers, it was a bad sign when they lost one of their best players, Tyrese Haliburton, in the opening quarter. With about five minutes left in the first quarter, Haliburton tumbled to the court in a heap, immediately began punching the floor in frustration and needed to be helped to the locker room. It was announced on the morning after the Finals that Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon, putting his 25-26 season in serious jeopardy. He had played the last few games with a pulled right leg injury, but tried to play through it. Haliburton was there to comfort his teammates after the game.
As I usually do with NFL teams after a game ends, I’m going to break down where the Thunder and Pacers go from here. Let’s switch things up and start with the champs. First things first, I’ll give the Thunder the same advice I gave the Philadelphia Eagles and the Florida Panthers: party first, then back to work. For Oklahoma City, their top priority is to sign some of their players to an extension. Gilgeous-Alexander has to be the top priority as the Thunder don’t want their top star to go anywhere after leading the team to a championship (while winning Finals MVP in the process). Keep an eye on the Thunder’s picks, however. If they keep both of their 2025 first-round picks, they will need to reduce the roster by two players before they begin their title defense.
Now for the Pacers, well, they certainly have improved considering the season before ended up with them getting swept out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. Their priority has to be keeping Myles Turner around. All signs point to the free agent center returning, but anything can happen between now and the start of the next season. There are some teams out there that can use a center like Turner, and that includes the hometown Los Angeles Lakers who have new ownership to go out and pursue better talent. Another factor for the Pacers to consider is if they have to replace Haliburton next season. With their star guard possibly being absent next season, Indiana’s plans to build a dynasty has definitely taken a setback.
OTHER SPORTS NEWS
NBA NEWS
With the NBA Finals over, the offseason has begun for basketball. It began in earnest before Game 7 even started as the Phoenix Suns have agreed on a blockbuster deal, sending All-Star Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, and five second-round picks. We may not have started the NFL season, but I have to say it: HOLY MOLE HOLES! The Suns have made out like a bandit in this trade, and now they have plenty of assets to use for a rebuild and retool. As for the Rockets, well, now they’ve found themselves in win-now mode…because this trade sure did cost them an arm and a leg.
As for the local teams, the Clippers find themselves with an interesting problem: what to do with the aging James Harden? They also have to find a way to extend Norman Powell, who is coming off an incredible season (in fact, the best of his career). They may have exceeded expectations, but now that they have the league’s attention…they’re going to have to expect greater competition next season.
Now for the Lakers, this is definitely going to be an interesting summer. As I mentioned in a previous article, the Lakers were just sold for a record $10 billion. Now comes the questions: will they be able to extend Luka Doncic, will LeBron James return, and will they be able to find a center? (And that’s just a few of the questions.) It’s going to be a busy off-season as the Lakers try to reclaim their former glory.
NHL NEWS
Back in the NHL, boy, the local Anaheim Ducks have been busy. After an earlier trade with the New York Rangers, now they’ve made another trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Ducks will be sending Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks, the No. 45 pick in this year’s draft and a fourth-round pick in 2026. It looks like the Ducks are trying to accelerate their rebuild as they seek a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The question is if the other local team, the Los Angeles Kings, will be making a move this offseason to finally put them over the top (not if the Edmonton Oilers can help it).
MLB NEWS
This isn’t news so much as an update. Not long ago I published an article about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ only true rivalry with the San Francisco Giants. This morning I saw another article (I will be nice and not say where…but it does have four letters in their name) hyping up the “rivalry” between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Yes, a few players got hit by a pitch, but in fairness…it was started by the Padres when they hit Andy Pages. The Padres also blew things out of proportion when Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit during the last game of their recent three game series, resulting in the benches and bullpens clearing. Padres third baseman Manny Machado was believed to have said the Dodgers better “pray” that Tatis was okay (he was). Point is, once again, the “experts” are blowing this out of proportion and so are the Padres themselves. I will concede that the Padres and Dodgers don’t like each other, but it’s the Giants that present the biggest obstacle in the NL West Division, not the Padres. Therefore, I stand by what I wrote before: the biggest rivals the Dodgers have is the team from San Francisco with whom they’ve had a rivalry with that has lasted for over a century…not one with a cocky, upstart team that’s been good for only about 5 or so years recently.
