Thunder fans expecting to celebrate NBA title see hopes dashed as Indiana forces Game 7
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Hundreds of confident Oklahoma City fans who flocked to the Paycom Center expecting to celebrate the Thunder's first NBA championship on Thursday night headed for the exits when their team fell behind by 30 points.
The Thunder brought a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series into Game 6 in Indianapolis, and Indiana's star guard, Tyrese Haliburton, was hobbled. Thunder fans with high hopes watched the game together on the big screen at Oklahoma City's home arena.
The Pacers rolled to a 108-91 win, and now Thunder's passionate fans will wait anxiously for Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City while facing the possibility that their team might not win the title after all.
Negeen Sobhani, her husband, Victor, and their two children stayed until the end, and they are looking forward to the deciding game.
“Every journey has its ups and downs," Sobhani said. “It’s got its peaks and it’s got its valleys. And how you make it through those peaks and valleys is how far you progress. So we’re with them when they’re at their best and we’re with them in their valleys. But we know they’ll pull through.”
Thunder fans expected their nearly two-decade wait to already be over. The lower two levels at the Paycom Center were nearly filled before the tip, and the big screen was lowered for a better view. The crowd roared early when Jalen Williams dunked to give Oklahoma City an 8-2 lead.
Indiana dominated from there and led 64-42 at halftime. Fans remained hopeful, but the energy dissipated when the Thunder failed to score for the first five minutes of the third quarter. The crowd gained some hope when Indiana's Tony Bradley was called for a technical foul against Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein.
Indiana maintained control, though, and fans finally started to file out after Ben Sheppard hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third to put the Pacers up 90-60. Those who stayed stood and cheered as time ran out.
It's been a long wait for Thunder fans. The city first hosted an NBA team during the 2005-06 season, when the New Orleans Hornets relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Oklahoma City’s fans fell in love with the team and young point guard Chris Paul, who would be named rookie of the year.
The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, and Oklahoma City's fans feverishly supported their new team despite its early struggles. The Thunder had contending teams with young stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Even with all that talent, they couldn’t break through. They lost to LeBron James’ Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in 2012. Durant left for the rival Golden State Warriors in 2016. A team with Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony couldn't get out of the first round.
The end of Oklahoma City's misfortune seemed to have arrived this season, when the Thunder had the league's best record. Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder put the Pacers on the brink of elimination with wins in Games 4 and 5. Now, the misery will continue if Oklahoma City doesn't win Game 7.
Victor Sobhani believes the Thunder will bounce back.
“I think at the beginning, after a few turnovers, the Thunder were a bit de-motivated or they were not with their heads in it,” he said. “But that was not the team. The team on Sunday — they will they will show who they are. Everybody’s very positive they will win for sure.”
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