Sports analyst Mark Rodgers previews Game 7 of NBA Finals The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are both vying for the title of NBA champions in Game 7 at the Paycom Center after an intense series.

KOCO FIVE NEWS AND IT’S GREAT. FAMILY FRIENDLY FUN. I MEAN THIS IS OUR CHANCE, RIGHT? YOU MIGHT AS WELL COME OUT AND ENJOY IT. AND JUST TO BE AROUND OTHER THUNDER FANS, IT JUST MAKES IT EVEN THAT MORE EXCITING. WE ARE JOINED BY MARK ROGERS. IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU. IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU JESS. A SPORTS ANALYST, FORMER KOCO NEWS DIRECTOR AS WELL. OKAY, SO I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN DOING RADIO OUT HERE. YOU’VE BEEN COVERING THE THUNDER FOR A LONG TIME. AND WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM FANS RIGHT NOW AS WE ARE GEARING UP FOR TIPOFF IN IN JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS? EXCITEMENT, BUT SOME NERVOUS APPREHENSION AFTER THE WAY THAT GAME SIX WENT. BUT I THINK I WOULD FEEL GOOD IF I WAS A FAN OF OKLAHOMA CITY’S OUTSCORED THEIR OPPONENTS 227 POINTS HERE AT HOME. THEY WEREN’T SO GOOD ON THE ROAD THIS YEAR. BUT I THINK THAT AND THEN THE FACT THAT THEY’VE BOUNCED BACK AFTER ALL OF THE LOSSES SO FAR IN THE PLAYOFFS SHOULD GIVE THUNDER FANS A LITTLE CONFIDENCE GOING INTO TONIGHT. I YOU KNOW, I AGREE, MARK I FEEL GOOD GOING INTO THIS GAME AND IT’S INTERESTING. LAST YEAR THE THUNDER WERE NUMBER ONE SEED TOP TOP TEAM IN THE WEST ONCE AGAIN HERE THIS YEAR. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE THOUGH IN THE TEAM THAT THAT HAS REALLY TAKEN THEM TO THAT NEXT LEVEL YOU THINK I THINK TWO OFFSEASON MOVES THEY TRADED FOR ALEX CARUSO. THEY ALSO BROUGHT IN ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN. AND THAT’S MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE WEAKNESSES THAT THEY HAD LAST YEAR. PLUS THEY’RE A YEAR OLDER I MEAN CHET HOLMGREN IS 23. JACOBS 24 OLD MEN. THEY ARE WAY YOUNG FOR THE HISTORY OF THE NBA FINALS, FOR PLAYERS TO BE HAVING GAMES LIKE JDUB HAD IN GAME FIVE, WHERE HE SCORED 40 POINTS. SO THIS TEAM’S A YEAR OLDER, IT’S A YEAR WISER, AND I THINK IT’S BETTER CONSTRUCTED THAN LAST YEAR’S TEAM. WHAT IS HISTORY? TELL US ABOUT THE THUNDER’S CHANCES FOR GAME SEVEN? HOME TEAMS USUALLY WIN. THEY’RE 17. I THINK IN OR 16 AND THREE. I THINK IN GAME SEVEN. SO TONIGHT I THINK THAT THE NUMBERS AND THE ODDS ARE ON OKLAHOMA CITY SIDE. SEVEN POINT FAVORITE. WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN FOR THE CITY, FOR THE FRANCHISE, FOR THE TEAM TO BE ABLE TO BECOME AN NBA CHAMPION? IT’S ALMOST SURREAL. I THINK THAT WE’RE AT THIS POINT AND IT MIGHT BE THAT WAY. BUT I MEAN, WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU PUT YOURSELF, YOU ETCH YOURSELF INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS. YEAH. NO DOUBT. I MEAN, AND I THINK THE THUNDER HAVE GIVEN OKLAHOMA CITY AN IDENTITY, SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF FOR PEOPLE. I JUST FINISHED READING THE BOOK BOOMTOWN TODAY BY SAM ANDERSON, WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK. AND SO IT GOES ALL THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE STATE, AND IT COMPARES IT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THUNDER. AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS WORKING AT KOCO AND I WENT TO SEATTLE AND NEW YORK AND COVERED THE TEAM COMING HERE. SO THIS IS THE BEST DAY. THE FRUITS OF THE LABOR OF GETTING THE TEAM HERE. SO IT’S IT’S INCREDIBLY EXCITING. AND WHAT IS THIS LIKE FOR YOU AS A SPORTS ANALYST, JOURNALIST WHO’S BEEN ABLE TO COVER THIS. AND LIKE YOU SAID, YOU WERE HERE IN THE BEGINNING. AND TO SEE HOW FAR WE’VE COME AND TO MAKE IT HERE TO THIS FINAL GAME, WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE JUST ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL? OH, IT’S INCREDIBLE. I MEAN, INSIDE THE ARENA, AS LOUD AS THE FANS ARE AND AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM IS IN THERE, IT JUST MAKES THE HAIR STAND UP ALL OVER YOUR BODY. YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S FANTASTIC. SO AND IT GIVES US SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SUMMER THAT EVERYBODY CAN BE EXCITED. SO I THINK WE’RE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF AND I’M NOT PREDICTING MULTIPLE CHAMPIONSHIPS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT WE’RE AT THE BEGINNING OF WHAT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT RUN FOR THE THUNDER OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. ALL RIGHT. SO GIVE ME SOME KEYS TO THE GAME, SOME STUFF THAT, YOU KNOW, SPORTS INSIDER IS LOOKING FOR. WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING FOR ONCE THAT BALL GOES UP I THINK THAT THE THUNDER, WHEN THEY’VE BEEN ACTIVE, THEY’VE BEEN REALLY GOOD. SO REBOUNDS IF THEY OUTREBOUND INDIANA I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT. INDIANA IS NOT A GREAT REBOUNDING TEAM. POINTS OFF OF TURNOVERS WHICH OKLAHOMA CITY DOMINATED IN GAME FIVE. AND THEY WERE REALLY POOR IN GAME SIX. IF THEY DO THOSE HUSTLE THINGS AND GET THE CROWD BEHIND THEM, I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD CHANCE TO WIN. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN ONE GAME. IF INDIANA SHOOTS 55% FROM THREE, YOU KNOW, THAT’S A BIG PROBLEM. BUT I THINK OTHER THAN MAKING SHOTS, THEY HAVE GOT TO WORK HARDER THAN THEY DID IN GAME SIX. AND IT WAS IT WAS SUCH A DISAPPOINTING LOSS. SO YEAH, SO WHAT HAS TO BE DIFFERENT TONIGHT? I THINK THE EFFORT HAS TO BE DIFFERENT. AND IT WAS STRANGE BECAUSE OKLAHOMA CITY PUT OUT A LOT OF EFFORT. THEY DID HAVE A BAD GAME IN MINNESOTA. THEY HAD THAT BAD GAME IN GAME SIX. I JUST DON’T THINK THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT WITH THE CROWD BEHIND THEM. I MEAN, THEY’VE BOUNCED BACK, AS YOU SAID, EVERY SINGLE TIME. THEY HAVEN’T LOST TWO GAMES IN A ROW IN THIS POSTSEASON. MAYBE IT WAS ASKING TOO MUCH TO THINK THAT INDIANA COULD LOSE THREE IN A ROW, BECAUSE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY GOOD TEAM, AND THE THUNDER AREN’T GOING TO BE GIVEN A CHAMPIONSHIP. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND WIN THIS THING TONIGHT. INDIANA IS ONE OF THE MOST DISRESPECTED TEAMS OF ALL TIME. THEY’VE ONLY BEEN FAVORED SEVEN GAMES IN THE ENTIRE PLAYOFFS. AND SO THEY’RE A LOW SEED IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE. THEY WERE A FOUR SEED, BUT THEY JUST KEPT WINNING AND WINNING AND WINNING. AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AS OKLAHOMA CITY IS THAT THEY ARE UNDERDOGS. THEY STAGE COMEBACKS AND ALL THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. SO YEAH, IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY TONIGHT. I MEAN, OKLAHOMA CITY MAY EXTEND THE GAME LATE, BUT I THINK THAT THE EFFORT WILL BE THERE TONIGHT FOR SURE. AND YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS BEING A YOUNG TEAM. SO HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO THE PRESSURE OF A GAME SEVEN. THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. THEY’VE PLAYED A LOT OF GAMES I MEAN YOU KNOW SUGA’S PLAYED IN SOME IMPORTANT GAMES. HE’S PLAYED IN THE OLYMPICS. LU DORT’S PLAYED IN THE OLYMPICS. SO I THINK THE PRESSURE IS GOING TO BE THERE FOR BOTH TEAMS. I THINK IT’S EQUAL. YOUTH TO ME MAY HAVE A LOT MORE TO DO WITH FOCUS. YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN’T FOCUS THE WAY THAT A VETERAN TEAM MIGHT HAVE IN GAME SIX. BUT EVERYBODY’S GOING TO HAVE NERVES TONIGHT. I’LL BE NERVOUS AND I’M GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND ROWS UP THERE TONIGHT WATCHING THE GAME. I’M ALREADY NERVOUS ABOUT IT. I AM NERVOUS TOO. I DO FEEL LIKE THE THUNDER ARE THE BETTER TEAM. I THINK THEY SHOWED IT ALL YEAR LONG AND DISAGREE WITH ME. I DON’T THINK YOU WOULD THOUGH. AND I THINK THAT AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD FEEL CONFIDENT. OBVIOUSLY THE NERVES AND THE ANXIETY AND EVERYTHING, IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN REGARDLESS, BUT I FEEL GOOD. I THINK THAT’S RIGHT. AND OKLAHOMA CITY HAS GOT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE SERIES. SUGA’S THE MVP OF THE LEAGUE. HE WAS THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS MVP. AND IN THE NBA, YOU ONLY HAVE FIVE GUYS ON THE FLOOR. AND SO USUALLY HAVING THE BEST PLAYER CARRIES SO MUCH GRAVITY THAT YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT HE’S DOING AND HIS ABILITY TO MAKE PLAYS THAT THAT MATTERS IN GAMES LIKE THIS. SO WE KNOW WHAT A WIN TONIGHT MEANS FOR THE TEAM AND FOR OUR CITY. BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE THUNDER GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE? WELL, THERE WILL BE A TON OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS TEAM. ARE THEY GOOD ENOUGH TO GET IT DONE? THEY HAVE THE BEST RECORD. YOU KNOW THEY WERE ONE SEED TWO YEARS LAST YEAR THIS YEAR AND THEY CAN’T WIN. SO IT WILL QUELL ALL OF THE OFF SEASON CRITICISM. AND IT WILL IT WILL ANOINT THIS TEAM A CHAMPION, WHICH IS WHAT THEY DESERVE I THINK. WELL, HOPEFULLY AFTER TONIGHT THE ONLY QUESTION IS GOING TO BE, CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR? I WOULD LOVE IT IF THAT IS THE BIG QUESTION COMING OUT OF THIS. MARC ROGERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH ALWAYS FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR EXPERTISE.