Ahead of his first NBA Finals appearance, Thunder star (and reigning MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke honestly on their final opponent of the season: the Indiana Pacers. Shai was very candid in his review and offered his take on what to expect in the upcoming series.
“Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses," said Shai in a chat with the media. "They’re a very fast team. I think above all, they understand how they’re playing and they’re stubborn in their approach. They grind you with the way they play. They wear you down. You don't get here without being a really good team on both ends, and they are that. We know that coming into the game. They know their identity, and they stick to it no matter what."
The Thunder finished the 2024-25 campaign with the best record in the NBA (68-14) and the top spot in the standings. Led by the NBA's MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) with help from Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, they have cemented their status as a juggernaut in the West and a borderline dynasty in the modern NBA.
En route to the Finals, the Thunder beat several stacked teams, including the Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Timberwolves in the first three rounds. While they are favored against the Pacers, Shai knows better than to take the competition lightly, and he refused to let his team make the same mistake as so many others.
Coming in as the fourth seed in the East, the Pacers were considered underdogs to make the Finals, but they've more than proven their status as one of the best in the league. With Tyrese Haliburton setting the table for his teammates, the Pacers have become impossible to stop as the second-best offensive team through the entire playoffs so far.
At 12-4, the Pacers are back in the Finals for the first time in 25 years, and they intend to make the most of the opportunity. With Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Bennedict Mathurin, they already have pieces in place to challenge the Thunder, but it will take a massive group effort to win the next four out of seven games.
For two teams with so little experience, it's impossible to predict how things will end up, but we will have a first-time champion regardless of who wins. For Shai, the hard work has really only just begun, and these battles with the Pacers will serve as their ultimate and final test.
With unmatched chemistry and a relentless competitive motor, the Pacers are not going to go down easily, and now that they are four wins away from a championship, they will play with a renewed sense of urgency we haven't seen from them in this postseason.
In their first Finals appearance since 2012, the Thunder are not taking the moment for granted, even if the odds are stacked in their favor. In Game 1 on Thursday, the Thunder will give everything they have to set the tone early and defend their home court. But until the job is finished, Shai will not rest easy because he knows how quickly momentum can change within a series.
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