As the NBA Finals shift back to Oklahoma City with the series tied 2-2, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear that winning Game 4 despite offensive struggles will not be a sustainable formula moving forward.
“Whatever it takes to win has always been our mindset,” Gilgeous-Alexander said Saturday at Paycom Center. “But we’re not trying to rely on the way we played last game. We need to be better, and we’re going to be better.”
Oklahoma City shot just 18.8% from beyond the arc in Game 4 and finished with a season-low 11 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander did not register an assist for the first time all year, yet the Thunder outscored Indiana 31-17 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 111-104 victory and reclaim home-court advantage.
The Thunder guard also highlighted the impact of second-year forward Jalen Williams, who added 27 points in the win. “He’s a gamer. He’s a winner,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Whether it’s me in the two-man game or him switching on the five defensively — he’s a Swiss Army knife.”
With Monday’s Game 5 historically serving as a series tiebreaker — the Game 5 winner has won 73% of tied NBA Finals — Oklahoma City’s focus has turned to maximizing effort and execution.
“It’s first team to two wins,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked about the significance of this scenario. “Learn the lessons from the past four games. That’s what I felt like I was focused on in the Denver series, and we were able to do so. Same thing for this series.”
Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the physical toll of a postseason run that has now stretched into mid-June but emphasized the opportunity at hand. “It’s tiring, for sure,” he said. “But it’s been everything I dreamt it to be growing up. There’s no other place in the world I’d rather be.”
Role players have also elevated their importance, including Alex Caruso, who scored 20 points off the bench in Game 4. “You plug him in anywhere — he makes a difference,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He has instincts that are special. I don’t think you can teach things like that.”
Veteran Kenrich Williams, who logged 11 impactful minutes after seeing limited action earlier in the series, earned praise as well. “He’s like part of our DNA and our toughness,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Every coach knows what they’re going to get out of K Rich.”
As Game 5 approaches, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed confidence in the growth of Oklahoma City’s young core. “They just used every opportunity to get better,” he said of Williams and rookie center Chet Holmgren. “You’re going to fail and succeed. But figuring out how to learn and get better through it — that’s what’s going to help you get to where you want to get to.”
Game 5 tips off Monday night at Paycom Center.
