Indiana staved off elimination in Game 6 on Thursday, overcoming Tyrese Haliburton’s nagging calf issue to edge the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their victory forces a decisive winner-take-all clash on Sunday—the 20th NBA Finals Game 7 ever—granting every participant the classic playground dream: one game, all or nothing, for the championship.
No stage magnifies greatness quite like a Finals Game 7.
The 1950s openers. Arnie Risen’s 24 points and 13 rebounds powered the Royals to glory in 1951, while George Mikan answered with 22 points, 19 boards and four assists for the Lakers a year later.
The Russell trilogy. Between 1960 and 1966, Bill Russell produced three seismic efforts—35, 40 and 32 rebounds—highlighted by a 30-point, 40-rebound eruption in 1962.
West’s bittersweet benchmark. Jerry West poured in 42 points in 1969, still the Game 7 scoring record, though Boston spoiled his masterpiece.
Garden brilliance. Walt Frazier’s 36 points and 19 assists in 1970 carried the Knicks to a title in what remains perhaps the finest guard performance on this stage.
Showtime supremacy. Larry Bird’s 20-12-3 line (1984) and James Worthy’s 36-16-10 triple-double (1988) kept the Lakers-Celtics feud legendary.
Big-man anchors. Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) and Tim Duncan (2005) each delivered 25-point double-doubles to seal banners for Houston and San Antonio.
LeBron’s double entry. James torched San Antonio with 37-12-4 in 2013, then authored a 27-11-11 tour de force to end Cleveland’s drought in 2016.
Only Russell and James appear more than once, evidence of their uncanny ability to bend entire series to their will.
Scoring: West’s 42 remains unbroken; LeBron James and Tom Heinsohn share second at 37.
Rebounding: Russell’s 40-board haul (1962) has never been threatened.
Jordan’s absence: Michael Jordan never needed a Finals Game 7—his Bulls always finished the job sooner.
Thunder outlook: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s scoring champ at 32.7 ppg and averaging 30.5 in the Finals, is the obvious candidate if Oklahoma City prevails.
Pacers possibilities: Haliburton’s calf has cut his production from 17.8 to 9.0 ppg, so the door is open. Pascal Siakam—at 19.8 ppg and fresh off a Game 6 double-double—looks most likely to play hero if Indiana completes the upset.
In a Game 7, stars usually decide everything. One transcendent night on Sunday will inscribe a new name alongside West’s 42 and Russell’s 40. Who will seize that moment?
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