Indianapolis-A through the first three quarters of game 4 of the NBA finals, Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgous-Alxander, the MVP of the regular season, was hesitating at the highest moment of his career.
Although he had 20 points at that time, the thunder were surpassed by 16 with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. The offensive seemed to be dicked, and SGA was being harassed by the Guard of Indiana Pacers (and friend of childhood) Andrew Nembhard, unable to find space to operate.
Oklahoma City seemed a lot in danger of lowing 3-1, a deficit that only a team has overcome in the championship round. And SGA was being ineffective, forced to play outside the ball for Nembhard’s aggressive defense and not leave his mark on the game.
But the MVP kept the best for the end, scoring 15 points in the final box, a balanced response in the middle of a very close battle.
As a result, the Thunder surpassed the clutch more of the clutch in the postseason with a 111-104 victory, and now they are back in the driver’s seat of the finals.
“I just tried to be aggressive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about his performance in the section. “I knew how it would have been if we lost tonight. I did not want to leave not to balance. I didn’t want to go out without doing everything I could do in my possession, in my control to try to win the game … I suppose it was worth it.”
All points in the fourth quarter of SGA arrived in the last four minutes and 38 seconds of the game, which represents 15 of the last 16 points of his team.
“I didn’t know, but that’s crazy,” said the center of the city of Oklahoma, Chet Holmgren, when he was informed about that statistic. “We have seen it before him. We know that this is the type of player he is. But it is still impressive.”
“It’s amazing,” said Thunder chief coach Mark Daigneault. “I really didn’t have it a great time. I was working. It cost us a lot to release it. So that he could turn the switch like that and get the rhythm he received only talks about how good he is a player.”
It would have been easy to be frustrated.
Game 4 was a job. It was a physical confrontation with both teams called for more than 25 fouls. And Nembhard apparently felt attracted by a magnetic force, following him around each square inch of the court.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander remained in a uniform keel. When his team needed it absolutely to score, SGA found ways to evade Nembhard, often attracting Indiana Nesmith’s guard on ball screens to force a change, aggressively hunting a more favorable confrontation.
SGA finished the fourth quarter 3 of 6 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free throw line, and the Thunder beat the Pacers for 16 points in the 11 minutes and 12 seconds that was on the floor.
It was the opposite to the performance of the fourth quarter of Gilgous-Alexander game, when it seemed fatigued and scored only three points.
“You really didn’t know if you have three, except three, up 30, 30, having dinner on Wednesday. It is more or less the same type,” Daigneault said about his star’s resolution.
“You wouldn’t know if it was a preseason game or if it is game 4 of the NBA 2-1 finals with him,” added the guard of Thunder Alex Caruso. “It doesn’t matter what is happening, you look at it and he is the same. Under that stoic personality or look on the court it is a deep and deeply rooted competitiveness.”
Gilgeous-Alexander would not have been in position for his late heroic if it were not for the defense of OKC, it must be taken into account.
Indiana began the game on fire, scoring 20 points in the first four minutes and 48 seconds of the first quarter. In the last five minutes and three seconds of the room, the Pacers scored only seven points.
The block defense prepared the stage for SGA, and took advantage, turning the finals into a series of the best of three and fighting against the HomeC for Thunder.
“Winning, especially at this time of the season, it is the moments, it will be reduced to the late game,” said the MVP. “Each team is good. There will be a burst. It’s about the moments and who is willing to make winning plays at both ends on the floor.
“When I was a child shooting in my entrance path, I told the clock at that time. Now I can live it. It’s a blessing, it’s fun and enjoy it.”
