Heading back to Paycom Center for Game 5, the Oklahoma City Thunder must outperform an Indiana Pacers team who thrives in road environments.

The Thunder didn’t even exist in Oklahoma City when the 1995 bombing happened; the franchise that had been known as the Seattle SuperSonics didn’t relocate to America’s heartland until more than a decade later.

A group of Oklahoma City Thunder fans traveled over 2,000 miles, attending baseball games in St. Louis and Chicago, to support their team in Indianapolis.

The NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are tied 2-2 after OKC overcame a double-digit deficit in Game 4 to even the series. OKC outscored the Pacers 12-3 in the final 3:34 of the game and will now go back to having home-court advantage.

The modern iteration of the city, of course, is not just shaped by its urban renewal, but by the never-healing scar of being subject to the worst domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history — the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, which killed 168 people.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in prime position for a trade-up scenario in the 2025 NBA Draft with deep assets and strong roster stability.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have its back against the wall again. At some point, they have to shift its mindset.

When the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise needed a new identity, but OKC Thunder wasn't always the front-runner.