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Rick Carlisle Didn’t Love Seeing Thunder’s Championship Buses Before Finals Game 7
Rick Carlisle wasn't thrilled with something the Oklahoma City Thunder did before Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals had even tipped off.
A viral video emerged on Sunday, hours before Game 7, showing Thunder buses painted with the words "2025 Champions" and featuring the image of the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Moments ago, Rick Carlisle said he has seen this video. Did not seemed pleased by it. pic.twitter.com/AlrtklyN4k
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) June 22, 2025
That was likely done in preparation for a potential victory celebration and parade.
The Indiana Pacers' head coach seemed to take offense at the existence of the buses. Carlisle said, "I just saw a video that’s probably going to go viral, with open-top buses presumably for the parade, already painted with them as champions."
"So that’s what I’m thinking about right now," he continued.
That does seem to be putting the cart before the horse for the Thunder. The series between Oklahoma City and Indiana has been highly-competitive, and the Pacers won Game 6 in convincing fashion 108-91, to force a final, decisive contest.
If the Thunder don't win, they'll never live the image of those buses down.
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.