SGA Says Thunder Must Be Better After G1 Loss to Pacers, 'It's Not Rocket Science'
The Oklahoma City Thunder led for all but .3 seconds of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but that .3 seconds made all the difference in a win and a loss.
Though the Thunder were the better team for most of the night, a game-winning shot from Tyrese Haliburton means the Indiana Pacers are up 1-0 in the series. In a game like Thursday's, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong, but MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a simple answer.
"We've just got to focus on being better. The series isn't first to one, it's first to four," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "So we have four more games to get, they have three, and that's just where we are. We've got to understand that, and we've got to get to four before they get to three to win the NBA championship, and it's that simple. It's not rocket science, we lost Game 1. We have to be better."
Just like the several teams before this postseason, the Thunder fell victim to a second-half comeback from the Pacers. OKC learned a valuable lesson in the loss.
“It is a 48-minute game. [The Pacers] teach you that lesson more than anybody else in the league the hard way," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters.
The Thunder did just about everything right in the first half, forcing 19 turnovers to head into the break with a 12-point cushion. Even in the third quarter, Indiana outscored Oklahoma City by just three points, and the Thunder appeared in a position to put the game away.
But the Pacers quickly erased the deficit, using a 12-2 run to cut it to just four points halfway through the fourth quarter. Indiana made it a one-point game heading into the final minute.
Oklahoma City had two chances to go up three in the final 30 seconds, but squandered both. Jalen Williams missed a jump shot and the Thunder got the ball back, but Gilgeous-Alexander missed another clutch shot. That led to Haliburton's game-winner on the other end.
Haliburton now has three game-winners this postseason alone. Williams had a simple answer when asked how it feels to be on the end of one of those game-winners.
“I mean, it sucks," he told reporters.
But as Gilgeous-Alexander said, it's the first to four wins, and Oklahoma City is still very much in the series, even if the momentum lies with the Pacers after Thursday's game.
Gilgeous-Alexander was in MVP form on Thursday, putting up 38 points, but he needed more from his supporting cast. Williams had 17 points on a lackluster 6-of-19 from the field. Chet Holmgren had just six points and six rebounds. OKC shot 39.8 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep.
If the Thunder can get more from players other than Gilgeous-Alexander, play the stout defense they played in the first half and avoid the Pacers' signature comebacks, winning a title is well within reach.
