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OKC Thunder captures first NBA title in electrifying Game 7
B:, sports
June 25, 2025
OKC Thunder captures first NBA title in electrifying Game 7
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR,

The drought is over. The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions.

With a deafening home crowd roaring behind them, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-91 Sunday night in Game 7, clinching the franchise’s first NBA title since relocating from Seattle in 2008—and the city’s first major professional sports championship.

Once again, the Thunder leaned on the poise and firepower of their young core. Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 29 points and delivered 12 assists, while Jalen Williams added 20 points and Chet Holmgren delivered 18 points, eight boards and a towering defensive presence. Thunder fans, stamping in unison with every big play, watched history unfold inside a roaring Paycom Center.

Indiana landed the first blow behind All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who sank three early three-pointers. But heartbreak followed: midway through the first quarter, Haliburton crumpled on a drive without contact, slapping the hardwood in visible pain. He was ruled out with a lower leg injury, and the Pacers never fully recovered.

Still, Indiana scrapped. TJ McConnell logged 16 points and six assists off the bench, but fatigue and seven costly turnovers haunted him in extended minutes. The first half featured 11 lead changes and nine ties, with the Pacers leading by one at the break.

Then came the avalanche.

The Thunder unleashed a third-quarter blitz, outscoring Indiana 34-20 as Gilgeous- Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams buried backto- back-to-back threes in a 9-0 run that broke a 56-56 tie. Veteran Alex Caruso added his signature grit and spacing, knocking down early threes and helping to stretch the floor for OKC’s young stars.

By the start of the fourth, the Thunder led 81-68—and they weren’t letting go. Indiana made one last push behind Bennedict Mathurin, slicing the lead to 12 with under five minutes to play. But Gilgeous-Alexander answered with free throws after drawing a crucial foul, extending the lead to 14. A missed layup from McConnell over Holmgren’s long reach sealed the deal.

When the final horn sounded, blue and orange confetti rained down, and a generation of OKC fans erupted in joy. Gilgeous-Alexander, whose brilliance carried the Thunder all season, was named Finals MVP, capping a dazzling campaign for the 26-year-old Canadian star.

From near the bottom to the mountaintop, the Thunder’s rebuild has reached its triumphant climax. And Oklahoma City? It’s a championship city at last.

Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
B:, sports
Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
The Seminole Chieftains were lucky to go home with a 34-27 win over the Checotah Wildcats Friday night. Checotah’s penalties that accumulated to over 100 yards. The Wildcats moved the football up and ...
Council votes to dismiss former Mayor Warren
A: Main, news
Council votes to dismiss former Mayor Warren
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
The Eufaula City Council removed former Mayor Todd Warren from the Council Monday night citing excessive absences. City minutes of past meetings presented to the Council showed that Warren missed the ...
Church celebrates 160th anniversary
A: Main, news
Church celebrates 160th anniversary
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
Decades before Oklahoma became a state in 1907; years before the first railroad track was laid in Indian Territory in 1870 and the year the Civil War ended, folks in a remote area of what is now McInt...
Mild weather, just what the festival ordered
A: Main, news
Mild weather, just what the festival ordered
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
Mayor James Hickman perhaps summarized best when he sent a letter of appreciation to Karen Weldin and the Vision Eufaula Board of Directors for one of the best Wine & Art Festivals held in the city. “...
9/11 – Never Forget
A: Main, news
9/11 – Never Forget
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
At about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I strolled into the Las Vegas Sun newsroom where I worked as an entertainment reporter. The room was quiet, a palpable feeling of dread filled the air as the f...
Margaret Floyd Homecoming Parade Marshal
A: Main, news
Margaret Floyd Homecoming Parade Marshal
September 10, 2025
Margaret Marie Vickery Floyd has been named the 2025 Eufaula High School Homecoming Parade Marshall. Born in 1927 in Ramona, she is the fourth greatgranddaughter of Chief McIntosh, and the mother of f...
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A: Main, news
Ironhead Homecoming Friday
September 10, 2025
The Homecoming Weekend kicks off Friday, Sept.12, with a Pep Assembly at the Eufaula High School Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. followed by a parade at 1 p.m. The coronation of Homecoming Royalty takes place...
New library coordinator challenges Checotah
A: Main, news
New library coordinator challenges Checotah
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and so the new coordinator of Eufaula Memorial Library is taking that opportunity to challenge the Jim Lucas Checotah Public Library to a competition to see wh...
Braddock Dobbs joins School Board
A: Main, news
Braddock Dobbs joins School Board
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
Braddock Dobbs, 31, son of the late Margaret Dobbs, who was on the Eufaula School Board for 15 years, is following in his mother’s footsteps. Monday night, Aug. 8, at its monthly meeting, the Board ap...
Drillers honor Eufaula veteran
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Drillers honor Eufaula veteran
September 10, 2025
Former Army Sp4 Timothy Pickering of Eufaula was honored recently at the Driller Stadium in Tulsa as a “Hometown Hero,” a program that honors people who have had a lasting impact on the community. Pic...
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Flea Pop-Up Market
September 10, 2025
Friday – Sunday, Sept.12-14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 210 N. Main St. Booth rental available. Call Mr. Printer at 918-689-5998, Jani at 918-839-8494 or Ricky at 918-424-9961. Prices for all three days: ...
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