Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shares Blunt Take After Game 1 Collapse vs. Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went into Game 1 of the NBA Finals with all of the confidence in the world. Outside of their series with the Denver Nuggets, they had only lost one game between their respective series with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder were significant favorites heading into Game 1, listed as -650 favorites to win the series, implying a probability of 86.67%. However, things didn’t go as the Thunder had planned, with the Pacers erasing a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to shock Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers a blunt take
For much of the game, the Thunder continued to display the same level of dominance we saw in the regular season and most of the playoffs. However, their double-digit lead in the fourth quarter proved not to be safe, as the Pacers made a serious comeback.
The Pacers needed some things to go their way down the stretch, but once they got the opportunities, they seized them. Down just one, the Pacers got a stop on the defensive end, which resulted in a Tyrese Haliburton made jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers their first lead of the game.
Following Indiana’s miraculous comeback, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept things blunt.
“It’s not rocket science… We have to be better,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
“It’s not rocket science… We have to be better.” 🗣️
SGA reacts to a stunning OKC loss in Game 1 of the #NBAFinals. pic.twitter.com/fCURoQEPsO
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 6, 2025
Even with the loss in the series opener, the Thunder remain -330 favorites, which implies a 76.74% chance of them winning the NBA Finals. The Thunder were 10-point favorites entering Game 1.
Despite the Pacers’ win, the point spread for Game 2 increased, as the Thunder went from 10-point favorites in Game 1 to 11-point favorites in Game 2.
If the Thunder can put the shocking ending of Game 1 behind them, they should be able to even the series before heading to Indiana for Games 3 and 4.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.