An unexpected historical marker suggests the San Antonio Spurs will beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Saturday’s Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.
Harrison Barnes turns 34 on Saturday, but why does that matter?
Seven other players who celebrated their birthdays on the day of a Game 7 won their respective playoff games. This list includes Paul George, who turned 36 during the Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Game 7 earlier this month.
Incidentally, Barnes was in this exact spot 10 years ago when the Golden State Warriors faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the 2016 West Finals. On that day, he and the Warriors completed a 3-1 comeback to advance to the NBA Finals.
Full list of birthday winners during Game 7s:
- Paul George turned 36 on May 2, 2026; the Sixers beat the Celtics.
- Harrison Barnes turned 24 on May 30, 2016; he and the Warriors beat the Thunder.
- Pablo Prigoni turned 35 on May 17, 2015; he and the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
- Udonis Haslem turned 32 on June 9, 2012; he and the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics.
- Kevin Garnett turned 28 on May 19, 2004; he and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Sacramento Kings.
- Scott Hastings turned 30 on June 3, 1990; he and the Detroit Pistons beat Chicago Bulls.
- Walt Hazzard turned 24 on April 15, 1966; he and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks.
Spurs to Ride the Birthday Luck?
Remarkably, Barnes could beat the same opponent on the same day — 10 years apart — to reach the NBA Finals, as highlighted by Spurs beat writer Dusty Garza.
“Harrison Barnes turns 34 on Saturday… the same day the Spurs play Oklahoma City for Game 7,” he wrote on X.
Just saying.”
Spurs Enter Game 7 as Underdogs
The Spurs enter the game as 4.5-point underdogs, and understandably so. For one, Barnes and De’Aaron Fox are the only two Spurs players to have played in Game 7 before, while most of the squad is in the middle of its first-ever playoff run.
Furthermore, home teams have won 73% of the 165 Game 7s in history (119-44), while the Spurs are 1-5 in Game 7s on the road. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 8-5 in Game 7s, including 8-1 at home, giving them the distinct advantage on Saturday.
It’s also worth noting that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. know what it takes to win a Game 7. Last year, they won two Game 7s — versus the Nuggets in the West semifinals and the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals — en route to the championship. As such, they are more battle-tested than the Spurs, who have never played a game of this magnitude.
Every statistical marker, save for the Harrison Barnes birthday nugget, gives the Thunder the edge. Yet, the Spurs are not lacking in confidence, so much so that Stephon Castle believes they are “the better team” than the defending champions.
“As a group, we all want this,” Castle said, via The Oklahoman.
“…We feel like collectively that we’re better than this team.”
Spurs vs Thunder Game 7 tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The winner will face the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
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