The Oklahoma City Thunder are just one win away from winning the NBA championship. After a solid victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5, they are close to getting their first title since moving to OKC.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the big reasons why they are close to winning the title. The MVP had another huge performance in Game 5.
SGA finished the game with 31 points, two rebounds, and ten assists in the 120-109 victory over the Pacers.
Following that performance, he joins some rarified air. He joins a list of all-time greats when it comes to scoring in the playoffs.
SGA joins Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to have 15 games scoring 30 or more points.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been masterful throughout the entire postseason. There's a reason why he was the MVP this season. He's just so consistent and reliable.
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The Thunder have been buoyed by his consistency throughout the NBA Finals. They know they can count on him to have at least 25 points every night.
Despite the fact that Gilgeous-Alexander looks exhausted at the end of every game, he has still been able to lead them to three wins in the NBA Finals so far.
He is also just 26 years old. He is just now entering his prime. With how young the rest of the team is, this could just be the start of some great years for OKC.
Of course, the Finals are not over yet. SGA and the rest of the Thunder still have to play a game in Indiana, which is not a place teams have won very often in the playoffs.
They have to feel great that even if they lose that game, they get Game 7 at home on Sunday night.
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Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to keep increasing his scoring output in the next game. He's hoping that the Thunder have just one more game left in their season.
If the Thunder do end up winning the Finals, they could end up going down as one of the best NBA teams of all time. SGA has a chance to lead them to that immortality.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM.