The vibes seem to have changed drastically following a Game 6 drubbing at the hands of the Spurs out in San Antonio, as the once confident and dominant OKC Thunder now find themselves limping into a do-or-die Game 7.
With this, the defending champions have one final opportunity to punch their ticket to a second-straight NBA Finals on Saturday evening, and, to Mr. "I have the answers to the test," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there's no telling what the future holds.
Following Thursday's loss, the two-time MVP admitted to reporters that "anything can happen in a Game 7," and that, though having the advantage of playing at home for the winner-take-all bout "is nice," in his eyes, "it doesn't really mean anything."
While he's certainly right when it comes to the fact that a win is far from guaranteed, and that if the Thunder can't find a way to level up from their previous outing "our season will be over," history seems to suggest that being able to play this close-out on their homecourt is far from meaningless.
Thunder are historically undefeated when playing Game 7 at home
Per the findings of Underdog NBA, the Thunder have played in a total of four Game 7 matchups out in the Sooner State since becoming an official organization back in the 2008-09 season.
In such outings, they boast a perfect 100 percent success rate.
The last time OKC was tasked with closing out a series on their home floor came during last year's NBA Finals, where, after being blown out by the Pacers in Game 6, they bounced back in a major way by dominating both ends en route to a 103-91 win and, in turn, claiming their first Larry O'Brien Trophy.
While Oklahoma City has yet to play a single Game 7 in this year's postseason, as both of their previous two rounds ended in a series sweep, it's easy to feel confident in their ability to get the job done out at Paycom Center here in this upcoming, high-stakes contest.
When playing in front of their home crowd this postseason, the Thunder rank in with the most points scored (119.4), the top offensive rating (120.5), the second-highest point differential (plus-14.1), and the third-best overall net rating (14.3).
Add in the fact that Gilgeous-Alexander is overdue for one of his classic, killer contests that fans have grown accustomed to over the years, and, while it's still a fact that nothing is given, it seems fair that the odds continue to lean in OKC's favor to pull away from this series victorious.
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