Sports Poets Society

24 Jun 2025 Jenni Carlson Columnist The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK Tucked in the far back corner of the temporary stage covered in blue and orange confetti, Mark Daigneault positioned himself as far as possible from the action, the interviews, the cameras and the celebration. Leaning on the railing, he looked like he could’ve been observing a November shootaround. It was an NBA Finals coronation instead. Make no mistake, the Thunder coach was excited, thrilled, enthused — “I’m just so happy for the guys,” he said — and why wouldn’t he have all the feels after a 103-91 triumph over the Pacers? But Daigneault’s disappearing act to the back of the stage was telling. Even with the second-youngest team to ever win an NBA title, a bunch so young that several of its core players were old enough to drink the celebration champaign Sunday night but wouldn’t have been old enough to rent a car Monday morning, Daigneault never treated them like youngsters. He enabled them. He held them accountable...

Fans cheer in the fourth quarter during Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 22. Some of the Thunder’s most loyal fans have waited 17 long years for the organization’s first championship. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN of the Thunder’s most loyal fans have waited 17 long years for the organization’s first championship. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN of the Thunder’s most loyal fans have waited 17 long years for the organization’s first championship. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN Fans cheer in the fourth quarter during Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 22. Some of the Thunder’s most loyal fans have Scott Wright 24 Jun 2025 - The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK In between moments of reaching across aisles to hug his neighbors in the baseline seats of Paycom Center, Thundor raised his hands high — his OKC Thunder megaphone in his right hand and only his index finger extended on the left. With the Larry O'Brien Trophy painted on his belly, he and 18,202 of his close...

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right,  only had  one  turnover  in Game 7, which marked his lowest total of the series. Justin Martinez 24 Jun 2025 - The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK After 17 seasons of Thunder basketball, it finally rained inside Paycom Center. Blue-and-orange confetti fell from the rafters as the final buzzer sounded Sunday. It solidified the OKC Thunder’s 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Indiana fans took shelter by heading toward the exits, leaving nothing but a sea of blue in the stands. Meanwhile, OKC’s players shielded themselves by throwing on T-shirts with large text across the front. NBA champions. For the first time since the franchise’s inception in 2008, OKC has won the NBA championship. And after recording 29 points and 12 assists in the closeout game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the Finals MVP. That marked the completion of the hat trick for the Canadian-born super...

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN From left, Oklahoma City Thunder players Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams celebrate with general manager Sam Presti and team chairman Clay Bennett in the locker room after winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center on June 22. 24 giu 2025 Joe Mussatto - The Oklahoman Sam Presti rolled a champagne cork between his fingers long after the bottles had been popped. It was a modest token compared to the shiny Larry O’Brien trophy, to the championship ring he’ll soon be fitted for, but a meaningful one just the same. And Presti had exactly the place to put it. A small glass case in Presti’s closet contains three other corks, one for each of the three Spurs championships he was a part of in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Titles that helped Presti, at age 29, land a job as general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics. Eighteen years later, Year 17 in Oklahoma City, Presti has another cork to add to his collection. A title of his own. The firs...

PHOTOS BY BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN Thunder players celebrate after Game 7 of the NBA Finals following  Oklahoma City’s win over the Indiana Pacers on June 22. Joel Lorenzi 24 giu 2025 - The Oklahoman They deliberated, still unsure what victory tasted like. Chet Holmgren’s lanky arm reached for the neck of the Moet bottle, and Jaylin Williams’ unraveled the seal like a Hershey’s kiss. Across a table littered in neatly lined beer, the centerpiece of this locker room of baby-faced champions, rookie Dillon Jones barbarically shook his bottle like a shake weight. They cluelessly distributed the champagne, seeking Alex Caruso, the 31-year-old in the room and the only player who knew how to celebrate. You’d chuckle at the ceiling. In the aftermath, the once elegantly illuminated white tiles looked like a Jackson Pollock, painted by bottles handled by eager first timers. “We messed up the champagne toast a couple times,” Caruso told The Oklahoman after helping secure the Thunder’s first-e...

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso kisses the Larry O'Brien Trophy on June 22  after the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Thunder finally reach summit 24 giu 2025 -  Jenni Carlson Columnist  The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK With Paycom Center rattling and shaking — and the Indiana Pacers finally seeming to do the same — Jalen Williams joined the celebration by closing his eyes, pumping his fists and adding his voice to the roar. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN OKC Thunder celebrates during the trophy presentation after Game 7 of the NBA Finals  between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center on June 22. “C’mon!” he bellowed. Thunder fans did. “Let’s go!” he thundered. The fans did — and the Thunder did. Oklahoma City is the NBA champion. On a night the Thunder outlasted the Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City had plenty of reasons to celebrate. The t...

Reaction and analysis of Game 6 and a look ahead to Game 7 on 21 giu 2025 The Oklahoman Joe Mussatto Columnist The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK INDIANAPOLIS – Mark Daigneault waited as long as he reasonably could have before calling his first timeout Thursday night. It was as if he didn’t want to intervene in the action, instead waiting for his team to show some spunk. To hush the Indiana crowd and halt the Pacers’ run on its own. That wait would be an indefinite one. Game 6 was all Indiana: 108-91 Pacers. “The way I see it is, we sucked tonight,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his analysis unimpeachable. The Pacers played with desperation. The Thunder played like it had a fallback option — a Game 7 wild card tucked away in the recesses of the visitor’s locker room. Which is true of course, but boy oh boy, that’s a dangerous game to play. Anything and everything is on the table in a Game 7. Not closing things out in Game 6 leaves the Thunder susceptible to the whims of the ball bouncing ...

CHRISTINE TANNOUS/INDYSTAR The party rages on Georgia Street 21 Jun 2025 - The Oklahoman  Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK Gregg Doyel INDIANAPOLIS – And now, anything can happen. Wait, hang on. Anything has happened. The Indiana Pacers, given no chance against the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder when the 2025 NBA Finals began, have forced a Game 7 with a 108-91 blowout — it wasn’t that close — Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 6.The Indiana Pacers bench celebrates a 3-pointer on June 19 during Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  Game 7 will be Sunday night at the Paycom Center in downtown OKC. “One game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said afterward. “This is what it’s all about. This is what you dream about growing up.” Can this impossible dream come true? Think about it: The 2025 Indiana Pacers, two years removed from being a lottery team, are 48 minutes from winning the first NBA title in franchise history. This wasn’t on anyone’s...

MADDIE MEYER/GETTY IMAGES Oklahoma City Thunder players look on from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19 in Indianapolis. Dream season has reached one game to define legacies 21 Jun 2025  Thunder Insider Joel Lorenzi  The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK INDIANAPOLIS – Half-drank Gatorades and hardly-sipped protein shakes were sprawled across the carpet where the champagne stains would’ve been setting in. Glazed eyes and long stares could not be hidden by protective, celebratory goggles. Their hands fiddled, occasionally running through braids or massaging the disappointment from their chins; they’re another few nights away from their final chance to hot potato the Larry O’Brien. The Oklahoma City Thunder, having entered Thursday’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals with a 3-2 lead, ended the night framing the opportunity that Sunday is. Thursday’s shot was long gone. KYLE TERADA/ IMAGN IMAGES -  ...