The Indiana Pacers forced a Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, setting up a dramatic conclusion to this year's season. Gary Washburn, the national basketball writer for the Boston Globe, has more on what to expect.

Oklahoma City

The Indiana Pacers secured a decisive victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, ensuring the series will be decided in a Game 7 for the first time in nine years. Tyrese Halliburton played a key role for the Pacers, overcoming a calf injury to deliver a strong performance, especially in the first half.

Neither Indiana nor Oklahoma City has won an NBA championship since joining their current cities, making this final game particularly significant. The series is also notable for featuring two small-market teams, providing a potential blueprint for similar franchises to build competitive rosters through smart drafting and management rather than high spending.

Pacers-Thunder head to Game 7 of NBA Finals

Well, they're the two most exciting words in sports game seven. The Indiana Pacers blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder last night in game six of the NBA finals to force a winner take all matchup for the first time in nine years. National NBA writer and columnist for the Boston Globe Gary Washburn joins us now with more on this. Gary, good morning. Look, it wasn't a close game, but there were some exciting moments. What were some of the highlights for you? The highlight was Tyrese Halliburton, who was questionable with a calf injury, just come out and had a big game, especially in the first half. He's been really slow, had really slow starts in these games, and he just kind of sparked the team. And Indiana, after falling behind a little bit in the early going, just took control and basically, you know, made it clear that they're going to go to a game seven, that they were not going to be beat on their home floor, that this series was going to go the distance. And I think, you know, Indiana just played so well in Oklahoma City with a chance to win their first championship since moving to Oklahoma in 2008, just to look completely flat and lethargic. Now, Gary, we looked this up. There have been 19 game sevens in NBA history, the last one back in 2016. Why are these so special, especially when we're talking about the finals? Just the intensity, just one game for it all. You know, you have a football where you have a Super Bowl, and that's one game for it all. But in basketball and baseball, they're series. So generally, these don't happen very often. The last one was obviously the very famous 2016 game between the Cavaliers and the Warriors, where LeBron James made that infamous block, Kyrie Irving made that jump shot, and the Cavaliers won their first title in 52 years. So this is for all the marbles. Indiana has not won a championship since joining the NBA in 1976. Oklahoma City has not won since moving there in 08. So this is for everything. This is one team is going to walk away with their first championship. The other one's going to walk away empty handed. Now, Gary, there's been so much talk about how these are small market teams. This is maybe not the ideal matchup the NBA had in mind. What do you think the impact of this series going to game seven means for the NBA? I think this is a blueprint for how a lot of the smaller market teams can build championship contenders. The Portlands, the Charlottes, the Minnesotas, the Detroits, the teams that aren't kind of the benchmark teams of the NBA. They're not the Knicks, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Heat. These teams can build through just lining their rashes with talent, with good young players, good draft picks, and astute managerial decisions. And both these teams have been built well, and they're not expensive. These teams are not in the luxury tax. They're not paying millions of dollars over the salary cap to build their teams. They built it very intelligently, and I think that's a blueprint for a lot of the teams who feel like they can't compete with the big spending teams. Gary, real quick before we let you go, who do you think has the edge Sunday night? I'm going to say the Thunder, but I think anything goes in a game seven. All the pressure is on the Thunder because they've been the best team by far in the NBA this year, and they've been the favorite. So in the end, it's playing basically with house money. All right. Gary Washburn, thanks for joining us.

Russia pummeled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, injuring at least 23 people and damaging buildings across the capital only hours after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin, officials said.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Russia hits Kyiv with largest drone attack after Trump-Putin call

U.S. President Donald Trump marked the passage of the new spending bill, which includes changes to food assistance, student loan programs, and clean energy credits. Robert Costa joins "CBS Mornings" to break down what's in the legislation.

Washington

Trump set to sign "big, beautiful bill"

More than 80 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Thursday (July 3), according to health officials, as Israel intensified its strikes, hitting a school-turned-displacement facility. CNN’s Paula Hancocks looks at the damage and humanitarian toll.

Jerusalem

More than 80 people killed in Gaza in one day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will do "anything" to advance EU accession talks. Zelenskyy spoke alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Ukraine will do 'anything' to advance EU accession talks: Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump said Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on imports to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual deals.

Global Tariffs

Trump: Letters telling countries their tariff rate going out Friday

Indonesian rescuers on Thursday (July 3) temporarily halted a search for 30 people still missing after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the island of Bali with the loss of six lives, the national search and rescue agency said.

Gilimanuk

Indonesia suspends search for 30 missing after ferry sinks near Bali

After marathon debate sessions in the Senate and House, President Donald Trump’s budget bill passed in the House. Republicans secured the biggest win of Trump’s presidency.

Trump’s landmark ‘big, beautiful bill’ narrowly passes U.S. House

Florida says the first group of migrant detainees have arrived at the new immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz." CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul has more.

Ochopee

First group of detainees arrive at "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida says

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday (July 3) that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he plans to hold a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. CBS News White House reporter Willie James Inman has more.

Trump speaks with Putin, plans call with Zelenskyy

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez reports on a lawsuit from lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia alleging he suffered “torture and mistreatment” after he was wrongfully deported and held in El Salvador’s notorious mega prison.

Tecoluca

Kilmar Abrego Garcia claims he was tortured in El Salvadoran prison

The Kremlin welcomed the development, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov claiming it proves Western arsenals are being depleted and predicting that less aid will hasten the end of the conflict.

U.S. pauses military aid to Ukraine over depleted weapons stockpile

Two contractors employed by UG Solutions spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as they were revealing their employers’ internal operations.

U.S. contractors say live ammo used at Gaza aid distribution site

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke for hours on the House floor about potential impacts of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that Republicans are looking to pass before July 4. Following debate, the House is set for a final vote on the massive budget bill.

House debates Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' ahead of final vote

CBS News political contributor Caroline Polisi joins "CBS Mornings" to break down the jury's verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial and the judge's decision to deny bail for the music mogul ahead of his sentencing.

Manhattan

Sean "Diddy" Combs denied bail after split verdict

Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota has died aged 28, just weeks after marrying his childhood sweetheart. The footballer passed away in a car crash in northern Spain.

Madrid

Liverpool soccer player dies in car crash 10 days after wedding

The Pentagon said that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.

Tehran

Iran Strikes

Iran nuclear program degraded by up to two years: Pentagon

Days before his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama announced the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit he founded, will have the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation, but China insists it will choose the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Lhasa

China rejects Dalai Lama’s succession plan

The U.S. Congress inched towards approving President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, despite attempts by Democrats to stop it. The bill is Trump’s signature legislation which includes massive spending increases on the military and immigration enforcement while slashing social programs.

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill nears approval

Sean (Diddy) Combs was found guilty on prostitution-related charges, but was acquitted on more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking giving him a maximum sentence of 20 years. But the courtroom victory was subdued following a judge’s ruling to deny him bail.

New York

Diddy denied bail, avoids life in prison

President Trump says Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, but it remains unclear if Hamas will accept the terms. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta has more.

Trump says Israel has agreed to Gaza ceasefire conditions

Bryan Kohberger changed his plea to guilty Wednesday for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students. CBS News national correspondent Carter Evans has more on the case.

Boise

New details revealed as Kohberger pleads guilty for 2022 Idaho murders

The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a state abortion law that was adopted in 1849 in a 4-3 landmark decision. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul reports.

Madison

Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down 176-year-old state abortion ban

Macron and Putin held regular discussions around the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Macron visiting Putin in Russia in February 2022, but dialogue eventually stalled.

Paris

Macron held 'substantial' phone call with Putin

President Trump toured “Alligator Alcatraz,” a migrant detention center he teamed up with Ron DeSantis to build in the Everglades.

Everglades

Protesters gather around ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as President Trump visits

Jurors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal criminal trial said they have reached a verdict on four of the five counts, but they cannot reach a verdict on Count 1, which is racketeering conspiracy. The judge has instructed the jury to keep deliberating. Deliberations will resume Wednesday (July 2).

Jury reaches partial verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs case

The U.S. Senate passed the Republicans' reconciliation bill on Tuesday (July 1) after more than 24 hours of marathon voting on amendments. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.

U.S. Senate passes Trump's "big, beautiful bill"

The new order does not rescind existing sanctions on ousted longtime President Bashar al-Assad, his top aides, officials and family members who are accused of having committed war crimes and human rights violations against Syrian civilians.

Trump signs executive order lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria

Former criminology graduate student Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to killing four Idaho college students in 2022, a move that would spare him the death penalty under a deal with prosecutors, ABC News reported on Monday (June 30).

Moscow

Suspect in murders of four Idaho college students to plead guilty

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, adding to mounting pressure on a government fighting for survival on multiple fronts.

Bangkok

Thai court suspends PM from duty pending case seeking her dismissal

Israeli strikes killed at least 60 people across Gaza on June 30 in some of the heaviest attacks in weeks as Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by U.S. President Donald Trump.