Did the Thunder Jinx Themselves? Viral Parade Bus Video Fires Up Pacers Before Game 7

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle walked into his Game 7 media availability Saturday thinking about just one thing—not the Thunder’s defense, not the game plan, but a video that had just hit his feed.

"I just saw a video that's probably going to go viral," he told reporters. "Of some buses, open-top buses, presumably for the parade that are already painted with them as champions. That's all I'm thinking about right now."

Whether intentional or not, the Oklahoma City Thunder just handed Indiana a fresh dose of bulletin board material ahead of Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 7. 

The footage showed buses labeled and prepped for a championship parade before a single minute of the final game had been played.

To say the moment struck a nerve would be an understatement. For a Pacers team that's clawed its way through Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York to earn its Finals berth, it was hard to ignore the implication: the Thunder may already be planning their celebration.

Indiana certainly isn't.

The Thunder are preparing their NBA Champions bus 👀🍿

(h/t @mrmilkman702)pic.twitter.com/lTwyvDWmOf

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 22, 2025

Coming off a gutsy 108-91 win to force Game 7, the Pacers have made a habit of showing up when counted out. They stole Game 1 on the road. They dominated Game 3 at home. And now, they'll head back into enemy territory in a hostile OKC environment with momentum and maybe a little more edge.

The series has been a back-and-forth battle. Oklahoma City tied things up in Game 2 and then took Games 4 and 5 to grab a 3-2 lead. But Indiana refused to fold, coming out swinging in Game 6 to force the final showdown.

Related: Tyrese Haliburton’s 6 Words Hint at NBA Finals Game 6 Status

And now, thanks to a video of some open-top buses, there's a little more fuel on the fire.

Carlisle didn't dwell on the logistics. He didn't speculate on whether the parade planning was arrogance or just a premature logistical move. But he made one thing clear: his players know about it—and they’ll be thinking about it when the ball tips.

Game 7 started Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. Whether those buses roll through the streets of Oklahoma City depends on what happens next.

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