Preview of the Game 7: Haliburton Leads the Pacers in Pursuit of Franchise's First Championship, ESPN Favors the Thunder to Lift the Trophy

At 8 AM Beijing time on June 23, the NBA Finals will feature a decisive Game 7, with the Thunder hosting the Pacers. The first six games ended in a 3-3 tie. A do-or-die battle is about to commence; will the Thunder clinch the championship at home, or will the Pacers celebrate on the road? ESPN leans towards the Thunder winning.

Thunder star Jalen Williams remarked that just thinking about the Game 7 of the NBA Finals makes "the hairs on his arms stand up." Pacers head coach Carlisle described this as "a moment to celebrate." This pivotal matchup will conclude this rollercoaster series.

The Thunder are seeking their first championship since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008. Although they won a championship in 1979, they were then known as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, on the other hand, are aiming for their first NBA championship, having won three ABA titles, the last of which was in 1973.

This will be the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history and the first since the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors on the road in 2016.

Carlisle, who led the Mavericks to the championship in 2011, stated: "In your sports career, you gradually understand how rare such moments are, and trying to replicate that in everyday life is what you strive for. It's not easy, and I'm really looking forward to Game 7."

In previous Game 7s in the Finals, home teams have a record of 15 wins and 4 losses.

Pacers star Haliburton said, "You have to be able to withstand pressure in those momentum-changing moments. As the visiting team, you need to create opportunities to stop the opponent's momentum."

After winning Game 6 at home 108-91, the Pacers enter Game 7 with momentum. Haliburton was a key reason for the victory, scoring 14 points and providing 5 assists, despite a calf injury that left him uncertain until just before the game. In Game 6, the Pacers forced the Thunder into 21 turnovers while committing only 11 themselves.

Haliburton mentioned that his body still feels stiff and sore, but after playing just 23 minutes in Game 6, he said he is ready for Game 7.

The Thunder have not suffered consecutive losses in the playoffs, and they only had two such instances during the regular season. Additionally, the Thunder have a playoff home record of 10 wins and 2 losses. Carlisle stated, "The fact is that everything prior is now irrelevant. We have only one game and one opportunity left. We are really looking forward to it."

In Game 6, Alexander committed a career-high 8 turnovers in the playoffs. He said, "When we do the things we can control, we look like a really good team. When we don't, we look like a bad team."

For the Thunder, this will be their second Game 7 in these playoffs. On May 19, they also played a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals, where they won at home 125-93 against the Nuggets to advance to the Conference Finals.

Although Jalen Williams indicated that the Thunder can learn from that game, especially in handling emotional fluctuations, he acknowledged the differences between the two situations.

"You feel anxious as you approach the game," Williams said. "To be honest, it's a bit hard to describe since I haven't played in a Game 7 of the Finals before. It's tough to give a suitable answer because this Game 7 will be completely different from the last one we played."

Even though the Pacers have not experienced a Game 7 in this postseason, they defeated the Knicks in a Game 7 during last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

Injury Report

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson and Jarace Walker are out, Haliburton is questionable

Thunder: Nikola Topić is out

ESPN Game 7 Win Probability: Pacers 39.9%, Thunder 60.1%