In basketball, there is nothing that validates your place in history like winning an NBA championship. As a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s an exciting time, as the team is now one win away from its first championship since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Following Monday night’s win, the Thunder are now ahead in the seven-game series with three wins compared to the Indiana Pacers’ two. Now heading back to Indiana for Game Six, what is it going to take for the Thunder to attain the ever-desirable Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy?
Indiana has been a surprisingly tough opponent. They finished the regular season with 50 wins, placing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They were able to make the Finals thanks to some miraculous comeback wins in each series of the playoffs, even beating OKC on a buzzer-beater in Game One of the Finals.
One thing that is striking about the Pacers is their energy. When playing them, it feels like there is no time to rest. As soon as your team gets the ball, they are guarding you nose-to-nose for 100 feet across the court. Their intensity and defense, in my opinion, are what got them to the Finals. Through five games, that has stood to be true.
OKC has a roster that runs deep, with players low on the rotation list who can come into the game and make an impact on any given night. However, the key to winning any game in the playoffs is making sure your best and most reliable players can get the shots they want. OKC has three players that need to score to win: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.
If you’ve kept up with Thunder basketball at all this season, you know that our “big three” determine how we win now, and how our future is going to look. They’ve been the cornerstone for success, battling through tough playoff series and leading the team to the Finals as the second-youngest team to ever reach the stage, with an average age of 25.6 years. Oh, and did I mention that Gilgeous-Alexander was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP)?
In the Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32 points, five assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and nearly two steals per game. What’s even more impressive is that Gilgeous-Alexander is one of four players all-time to have over 15 games where they scored 30 or more points in a single postseason. To add to that, he has had 10 straight games at home in the playoffs where he scored over 30. The leadership and consistent dominance from Gilgeous-Alexander show why he deserved to be the regular season MVP and how key he is to the Thunder’s success.
Every great star in the league needs a sidekick, and the Thunder might have the best second option in the league with Jalen Williams. So far in the Finals, Williams has averaged 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Williams was named to the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team, acknowledging the showcase he put on during the regular season.
In Williams’ case, there have been games in the playoffs where he hasn’t lived up to expectations. In Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals, he put up a disappointing six points in OKC’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. However, in the Finals, Williams has been outstanding. In Monday’s Game Five win against Indiana, he scored a scorching 40 points while making 56 percent of his shots. Williams also added six rebounds and made three three-pointers in one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen from a Thunder player.
Finally, we have Chet Holmgren. Holmgren has been an important piece all season for OKC on both sides of the ball. Through the first five games of the Finals, he has averaged 12 points, nine rebounds, and a block. Although he might not be putting up the absurd numbers his teammates are, Holmgren still makes an impact every time he is on the floor.
All the Thunder need to do to be crowned NBA Champions is win one of the next two games, but the Pacers won’t make that easy. Game Six is going to be played in Indiana, and the Pacers will do whatever it takes to win at home and drag the series to seven games. I predict the Thunder will win the next matchup, but it’s going to take serious execution from our best players to do so.
In my opinion, what needs to happen is simple: stick to what got us here. Oklahoma City’s big three have learned throughout the season how to play off each other and how to use each other’s strengths to make themselves better. I believe that in Game Five, Williams took full control of that mindset — and we need to see that again from him in Game Six.
The Pacers were guarding Gilgeous-Alexander tightly all game, not allowing him many opportunities to score on his own. With Gilgeous-Alexander taking up Indiana’s full attention, it gave Williams the opportunity to create some shots of his own, leading to his 40 points. His ability to step up when the team needed it most kept the Thunder ahead and later allowed Gilgeous-Alexander to hit some shots after they eased up on him to guard the explosive Williams.
In Game Six, the Thunder are going to have to rely on guys like Williams and Holmgren to take control on offense. . The Pacers are obviously scared of Gilgeous-Alexander, and if our other guys can step up, we should leave Indiana in the dust.
As an avid Thunder fan my entire life, this playoff run has been the best of any Thunder team I’ve watched. If OKC loses on Thursday, Game Seven will be played in Oklahoma City on Sunday, where the Thunder will need to use the crowd to their advantage. A win on Thursday would be much appreciated for my mental health. Once the final buzzer sounds and I can say the Thunder are NBA Champs, I will be living stress-free and clearing my schedule to go to the championship parade.
Game Six begins on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and it will be shown on ABC. If a Game Seven is necessary, it will be played on Sunday, also at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Matthew Yokum is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
