Nobody knows what’s going to happen at Paycom Center on Sunday. As the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers face each other for one last time this season, expect fireworks. Expect insane basketball craziness, expect drama, and expect the rightful owners of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Whoever wins will have their names etched in gold and glory in the lore of Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Forget the past. This is Game 7. With the 2025 NBA Finals on the line, the Pacers and Thunder have given us everything—blowouts, comebacks, collapses, and chaos. Both have lost at home. Both have watched big leads vanish in brutal fourth quarters. Sure, the OKC Thunder strung together back-to-back wins. And yes, the Indiana Pacers clapped back hard in Game 6. But now, with the series tied 3-3, none of it holds weight.

And while we know that the usual fierce starting five on both sides, with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam running the show for the Pacers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have held the fort for OKC. But do you really think this is all that they need to win the title? No. Because those benches have the potential to flip the script, like never before.

Understanding the bench strengths for Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals?

Depth is the secret sauce in this spicy NBA Finals recipe. Both the Pacers and Thunder swear by it. So naturally, the bench mob has been cooking up chaos all series long. When starters stall, it’s the backups who breathe fire. And in a series this close, those second-unit sparks? They might just light the path to glory.

For this rollercoaster of a Finals, the bench has been the secret weapon. In four of six games, the team with the hotter second unit walked away with the win, including all three Pacers victories. In Game 2, OKC’s bench flexed with 48 points. But in Game 3? Indiana’s reserves flipped the script, torching them 49-18.

Indiana Pacers’ bench:

T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin have been the heartbeat of Indiana’s second unit. McConnell is the crafty spark plug, averaging 11.3 points on a sharp 53.7 percent shooting, while handing out 4.5 assists and swiping 2.3 steals per game. Then there’s Toppin, soaring high with 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds a night. But wait—Bennedict Mathurin? He lit it up in Game 3 with a blazing 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Since then, he’s gone ice-cold, scoring just 17 total points on 4-of-19. Still, this Pacers bench packs a serious punch.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench:

Now over to OKC. Alex Caruso has been a steady rock. He’s putting up 10.2 points per game and locking down opponents as one of the team’s top defenders. Meanwhile, Aaron Wiggins is living up to the X-Factor tag. He dropped 18 in Game 2 and followed it with 14 in Game 5—both wins. However, when he’s cold, it shows. In the other four games combined, he’s scored just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting. Still, when the Thunder bench strikes, it strikes with purpose. And Game 7 might just be the moment they rise.

Other crucial bench stats before heading into the Finals

The Indiana Pacers’ bench has been cooking all series long, dropping 41.5 points a night on a sizzling 48.9% from the floor. They’ve also outworked OKC’s second unit on the boards, 15.8 to 14.8, and dished more dimes, 7.0 to 5.7. But hold on—Oklahoma City’s bench isn’t just standing around. They’re hitting threes at a fiery 44.3 percent clip compared to Indiana’s 39.1 and swiping 4.7 steals per game to the Pacers’ 4.3. So yes, the reserves are more than ready. They just might tip the scales in Game 7.

So, as you can see, the stars may steal the spotlight, but the real game-changers might be waiting on the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. Whether it’s McConnell’s hustle or Caruso’s clamps, Toppin’s flight or Wiggins’ flash, the title might just ride on the shoulders of the second unit. This is Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and this could belong to the unsung heroes.