Five numbers to know before Game 7 of NBA Finals


The Oklahoma City Thunder enter Game 7 as 8.5-point favorites, but the Indiana Pacers have repeatedly defied the odds en route to the NBA Finals.

As the teams play for all the marbles, here are five numbers to know:

6.95: That’s the average margin of victory in the previous 19 Games 7s in the NBA Finals. Only four of those Game 7s were decided by double digits: 1952 (Lakers 82, Knicks 65), 1960 (Celtics 122, Hawks 103), 1970 (Knicks 113, Lakers 99) and 1974 (Celtics 102, Bucks 87). The only four Game 7s of the 21st century — 2005, 2010, 2013 and 2016 — were all decided in the clutch. All signs point to another nail-biter on Sunday.

15-4: That’s the record of home teams in Game 7s of the Finals, meaning the Pacers will try to become only the fifth road team to win it all. However, some good omens are working for Indiana, the Eastern Conference champion. The 2016 Cavaliers won on the road, and the only three other teams to defy the odds were all from the East: 1969 Celtics, 1974 Celtics, 1978 Bullets. Furthermore, the Pacers are 7-4 on the road this postseason. 

37: That’s how many years it’s been since a team scored 100 points in Game 7 of the Finals, when the Lakers beat the Pistons, 108-105, in 1988. The last five Game 7s were all low-scoring affairs: 2016 (Cavaliers 93, Warriors 89), 2013 (Heat 95, Spurs 88), 2010 (Lakers 83, Celtics 79), 2005 (Spurs 81, Pistons 74) and 1994 (Rockets 90, Knicks 84). Expect the Thunder and Pacers to buck the trend, as they are both averaging over 115 points in the playoffs.

2: That’s how many players have scored 40 points in Game 7 of the Finals. Guess what? Both were in losses. In 1969, Lakers icon Jerry West scored 42 against the Celtics, becoming the first player to win Finals MVP as part of the runner-up. The only other player was Elgin Baylor, who scored 41 against the Celtics in 1962. Tom Heinsohn (1957) and LeBron James (2013) own the record for the highest-scoring Game 7 in a win. Both scored 37.

30: That’s how many years it’s been since a team with 50 wins or fewer captured the title. The Pacers (50-32) are trying to replicate the 1994-95 Rockets (47-35). They are also just the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the Finals, joining the 1969 Celtics, 1978 Sonics and 2010 Celtics. If they win, they’ll become the first champion ever not to be either a top-three seed or a defending champion. The 1995 Rockets (fourth seed) and 1969 Celtics (sixth seed) went back-to-back, so their seeding didn’t matter.

Sunday’s Game 7 tips off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.



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