Whether they meant to or not, the Oklahoma City Thunder gave Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle some material to fire up his team before Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
Video circulated on social media Sunday showing an array of buses that have already been prepared for a potential Thunder championship parade in Oklahoma City. The buses were painted with Thunder logos and the words “2025 Champions.”
I’m so sorry bro I got the script @BookitWithTrent pic.twitter.com/CKepGlvAnz
— MR. MILKMAN 🍼 (@mrmilkman702) June 22, 2025
The video came to the attention of Carlisle, who made sure to highlight it when speaking to the media prior to the game.
“I just saw a video that’s probably going to go viral. 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,” Carlisle said.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle: “I just saw a video that's probably going to go viral. Of some busses, open top busses, presumably for the parade that are already painted with them as champions. That's all I'm thinking about right now.” https://t.co/DpFIif8W2S
— shakeia (@curlyfro) June 22, 2025
Carlisle has never been shy about using this sort of thing as motivation. The Pacers probably do not really need it, and it is almost certain that there are similar plans in progress in Indianapolis for if the Pacers win, but that hardly matters to him.
No matter who wins Sunday night, a parade will quickly follow, and initial planning has certainly taken place in both cities. The Thunder were simply unfortunate enough to have theirs leaked, and will hope it does not come back to bite them.
