INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Difficult as it may seem, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is desperately trying to not think about what may await the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The MVP, scoring champion and Thunder star doesn’t want to think about the end of the NBA Finals. Or how the Larry O’Brien Trophy will feel in his hands if he gets to finally hoist it as a champion. Or what the celebration will look like, sound like, be like.
The Thunder are one win from a title, and it could come when they visit the potentially shorthanded Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. It is not just another game. Gilgeous-Alexander is trying to make it seem that way.
“The cusp of winning is not winning,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The way I see it, winning is all that matters. It hasn’t been fulfilled. We haven’t done anything.”
Technically, that’s true. In actuality, that’s also slightly ridiculous.
They lead the NBA Finals 3-2, have posted 83 wins so far this season and just found a way to hand Indiana its first set of back-to-back losses in three months. The Thunder, just as they did against Denver in Round 2, have bounced back from series deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, and are closer to a title than the franchise — at least since moving to Oklahoma City — has ever been.
“We want to win the game tomorrow, but the most important thing we need to do to win the game tomorrow is prepare today and prepare tomorrow and play the first possession really well, then the next possession, then the next possession,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Wednesday. “That’s how we try to approach a game, how we try to approach the playoff series, how we try to approach every single day and let that win the day.”
The Pacers expect a crazed atmosphere for what will be their final home game of the season; if they force a Game 7 it’ll be in Oklahoma City on Sunday. What the Pacers don’t know is if Tyrese Haliburton will be able to play; he’s dealing with a strained right calf and his status won’t be definitively known until Thursday.
“I think that’s all we can do, right? Think about the next game,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. “It’s a great opportunity in front of our fans. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge moment for our fans. They’re going to be super excited. We have a chance at home, NBA Finals. It’s a good opportunity. That’s all it is.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been stressing two key points: fewer turnovers (Indiana had 23 for 32 Oklahoma City points in Game 5) and limiting OKC’s offensive rebounding. Those areas must be cleaned up whether Haliburton plays or not.
The Pacers trailed New York 3-2 in the second round last season, came home and won Game 6, then went to Madison Square Garden and won Game 7. Winning from this position is possible, and Carlisle obviously knows it.
“What we need to do is buckle down. Stand strong. I anticipate one of the best crowds in the history of Gainbridge Fieldhouse,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to find a way. The ultimate is to get to a Game 7. That is the ultimate privilege. It’s the ultimate experience in sports. But we’ve got to take care of home court tomorrow to do that.”
After scoring 40
Thunder guard Jalen Williams, who had 40 points in Game 5, didn’t get a ton of calls and texts after the highest-scoring playoff game of his career.
Then again, his friends know he’s not on the phone much right now.
“Honestly, I try not to answer my phone as much, even though that probably sounded like I’m a jerk,” Williams said. “There’s just a lot of highs and lows throughout the series. You don’t get as many texts if you don’t play well. I try to keep that in perspective, too.”
On the brink
Since 2000, teams are 25-13 in games where they can win the NBA title.
The Thunder are aiming to go 1-0 in such games this year, something 20 teams have done in the last 25 seasons. The NBA’s most recent champion, Boston, needed two tries at it last season before ousting Dallas.
Seeking 84
If the Thunder win Game 6 — or Game 7 — it would push Oklahoma City’s win total for the season to 84, including playoffs.
And that would be rare air. Only three teams have won 84 or more games in a season: the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors won 88 (and lost the NBA Finals), the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls won 87 games, and the 1996-97 Bulls won 84.
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