OKC Thunder ready to play for all the marbles: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second half of Game 6. PHOTO: REUTERS
OKC Thunder ready to play for all the marbles: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
INDIANAPOLIS – The Oklahoma City Thunder 'sucked' in a sloppy, lopsided NBA Finals Game 6 loss on June 19 to the Indiana Pacers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, but he is confident that they have what it takes to claim the title in Game 7.
'The way I see it, we sucked tonight,' Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, said after the Thunder's bid to close out the Pacers ended in a 108-91 defeat in Indianapolis.
Averaging more than 30 points per game in the Finals, the star point guard scored just 21 to go along with four rebounds, two assists and eight of the Thunder's 21 turnovers.
'Some of them I think was carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged,' the Canadian added of the Thunder's uncharacteristic turnovers.
'They played harder than us tonight as well. When a team plays harder, they turn the other team over.'
Gilgeous-Alexander's eight turnovers were more than his seven baskets, but Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the defeat was on the entire team.
'First of all, credit Indiana,' he said.
'I thought they obviously earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. That's the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game.
'From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic. It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game.'
The Pacers rallied around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, who was cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tip-off.
He scored 14 points with five assists and two steals in a solid contribution to a comprehensive team effort.
Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 points off the bench as Indiana's reserves out-scored Oklahoma City's bench 48-37.
Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination.
'We just wanted to protect home court,' Haliburton said. 'We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor.
'Backs against the wall, we just responded... So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I'm really proud of this group.'
The Thunder, winners of a league-best 68 regular-season games, pulled their starters after falling behind by 30 going into the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander admitted the chance of clinching the franchise's first title since it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 – they won n 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics – was 'definitely in the back of our minds'.
'Now, we didn't play like it at all,' he added. 'That's why the night went the way it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that.'
But he did not think he and his Thunder teammates – who ousted the Denver Nuggets with a lopsided Game 7 win in their Western Conference semi-final series – needed to find something new.
'I don't feel like I have to do anything other than just be the best version of myself,' he said.
'I think that goes for everyone else in the room. We just have to bring what we bring to the table, what we've brought to the table all year.
'One game for everything you ever dreamt of. If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple.'
The Pacers, meanwhile, are in search of a first NBA title. They won American Basketball Association titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.
The term 'one game' was also on their minds as they look towards Game 7 on June 22.
'You know, we've got one game,' Haliburton said. 'All cards on the table. It's going to be a lot of fun.' AFP, REUTERS
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