The Oklahoma City Thunder will be at home on Sunday night as they face off against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City enters Sunday’s game looking to bounce back after blowing a lead in the fourth quarter of Game 1 as they allowed Indiana to steal a victory on the road.
Because of this, the Thunder now face a potential must-win situation in Game 2 as they try to even the series and avoid falling behind 2-0 in the series before it shifts to Indiana for Game 3.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) with the Michael Jordan Trophy for winning the most valuable player award for the 2024-25 season.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) with the Michael Jordan Trophy for winning the most valuable player award for the 2024-25 season.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Of course, Oklahoma City will need their stars to step up in Game 2 if they want to win and one player who has been able to do so all season for the team is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shai has already won regular season and Western Conference Finals MVP and there is nothing more that he wants than to lead the franchise to a championship this season.
Before Game 2 on Sunday, Shai met with the media where he was asked about how Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant helped shape his game.
“That's probably my favorite player of all time,” Shai said on Saturday about Bryant. “Never got a chance to meet him, to answer your question. But yeah, he, not only me, kids across the world, his influence has gone through the roof and his legacy will be remembered for forever.”
Shai did not hesitate to name Bryant as his favorite NBA player of all time and it shows in his game as he has drawn comparisons to the NBA legend.
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
It is clear that Shai has studied Bryant to improve his game though he mentioned that he was never able to meet the Lakers’ legend.
Despite this, Shai plays a very similar way to how Bryant did and he also has a winner’s mindset as he tries to help lead the Thunder to a championship this season.