History Shows That The Thunder Don't Fear Game 7 Situations

Oklahoma City was in two do-or-die games last postseason and left both victorious.

May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) reacts in the first half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Thunder have gotten themselves out of situations just like this. 

Oklahoma City is playing with its back against the wall for the first time in this postseason, as they are scheduled for a winner-take-all Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. This matchup is set to occur after the Thunder seemed to be completely outmatched against the Spurs in Game 6, falling 118-91.

The Thunder are going to need to change their play drastically, since the Spurs controlled the game from the opening tip. However, bouncing back in key Games has been something that the Thunder have become pretty good at after last season. 

OKC saw itself in two crucial Game 7 matchups last season, both after disastrous performances in Game 6. The first was in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, with the Thunder facing the Denver Nuggets. 

The series had gone back and forth and was tied up after a Game 6 where the Nuggets would win, 119-107. This game featured OKC shooting horribly from deep, and allowing Denver 32 shots at the foul line. However, this performance wouldn’t slow the Thunder down in the slightest, as they made a statement in Game 7. 

OKC would win Game 7 125-93, as it made Denver turn the ball over 23 times, and was led by 35 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City came up huge when it needed to, and didn’t stop there. 

The Thunder would face another Game 7, this time in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. In Game 6 of this series, the Thunder were held to just 91 points and seemed to have been totally outmatched under the brightest lights of them all. Luckily, OKC had some Game 7 magic left in them for the biggest game of the year. 

The Thunder would take Game 7 103-91 and secure its first NBA Championship in the process. This would be fueled by another great game from Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 29 points, and a great defensive effort holding the Pacers to just over 90 points. 

Both of these instances from last season show that bouncing back from a bad Game 6 is definitely something that the Thunder can do; now they will have to show it once again. The Thunder will have Paycom Center behind them with the game being played in OKC, and for history to repeat itself, the common factor of Gilgeous-Alexander will have to make an appearance once again.