Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Explains 4th Quarter Takeover vs Pacers in Game 4: “I Love Those Moments”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander created an iconic NBA Finals sequence with 15 points in the 4th quarter of Game 4 against Indiana.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Explains 4th Quarter Takeover vs Pacers in Game 4: “I Love Those Moments”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Image by FirstSportz)

This year’s NBA Finals have featured a lot of team ball from two young, evenly matched teams. While the Pacers play more of a team-oriented style, OKC depends on its MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to set the table. Although OKC does emphasize passing and ball movement, they need SGA to be a menace and draw attention. This allows the role players on the team to blossom off the collapsed defense and capitalize.

These NBA Finals have hinged on the point guard matchup between Tyrese Haliburton and SGA. Despite the Pacers star’s clutch play in Games 1 and 3, he has been outplayed in each of the four games played. SGA put together a 35-point outing – his third 30-point game of the series – and prevented a 3-1 lead for Indiana. His outburst in the fourth quarter of tonight’s game was noteworthy and exactly what they needed.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 15 points in the final 4:38 of the game. OKC closed the game on a 16-7 run; only one of those 16 points came from someone other than SGA. This response came after the Thunder dug themselves into a double-digit deficit in the third quarter. They had only three 3-pointers made on the night, doing all of their scoring the hard way off role players coming up big.

Fellow OKC All-Star Jalen Williams finally had the outburst many analysts had tipped him to have. He had 27 points, Alex Caruso added 20, and Chet Holmgren finished with 14. Despite the OKC bench getting outscored 36-27, they had enough contributions from players other than SGA to finish on a high note.

Speaking to the press in postgame media availability, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out how he lives for these high-leverage moments:

Absolutely. That’s what it’s all about. Winning, especially this time of the season, comes down to the moments, it’s gonna come down to the late game. Every team is good…I relish those moments, I love those moments, good or bad. When I was a kid shooting in my driveway, I’d count down the clock for those moments.

OKC can now bank on having a restored home court advantage for the three remaining games of this back-and-forth NBA Finals series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has put together a season for the ages

Irrespective of how this year’s NBA Finals end, SGA has made sure to stamp his name in the record books. He is on track to become the highest scorer on a championship team in NBA history, beating Michael Jordan for the record. SGA is responsible for an irreplaceably large chunk of the OKC offense as their hub.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander MVP
Shai Gilgeous Alexander is the reigning NBA MVP

He’s averaging over 30 points per game in this playoff run. This is a higher scoring average than Stephen Curry had in any of his six NBA Finals runs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also doing this on the back of a more active defensive playstyle than the only unanimous MVP in league history.

SGA will be hoping that his teammates can become more significant contributors on offense. Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso have answered the call in their two wins, but OKC needs more consistency on the offensive end from its role players. There’s only so much that their talisman can pull off before needing help. Banking on their MVP to generate 15 points in every fourth quarter is not a viable offensive strategy.

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