SGA, Thunder look to clinch NBA title in Game 6 against Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does up to score against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA season could end on Thursday night.
It's Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with the Oklahoma City Thunder leading the Indiana Pacers 3-2 in the title series. Game 6 is in Indianapolis and Game 7, if necessary, will be Sunday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are one win away from becoming NBA champions. And Gilgeous-Alexander is on the cusp of a nearly unprecedented season when it comes to individual honors.
He is the favorite to win NBA Finals MVP. He already has won the NBA MVP award for this season, meaning he could be the first double MVP since LeBron James did it with Miami in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
It could get even better. Gilgeous-Alexander is also the reigning scoring champion, meaning an even more exclusive club may await him. Only three players in NBA history have won MVP, Finals MVP, a scoring title and a championship in the same season: Michael Jordan did it four times, and Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it once each.
Gilgeous-Alexander could join them if the Thunder win this series.
The Pacers got good news a couple of hours before Game 6 when guard Tyrese Haliburton — who is battling a strained calf that flared up in Game 5 — was cleared to play.
'We got a job to do tonight,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'We've got to get ready to battle a team that has been the best team in the league all year long. It's a tough game. It's an elimination game. There's a lot going on.'
Thursday is also the 25th anniversary of the end of Indiana's last appearance in the NBA Finals. On June 19, 2000, O'Neal finished off that MVP Finals/MVP-scoring champion/league-champion season when he and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Pacers in Game 6.
If the Pacers avoid that fate Thursday and force a Game 7, it will be Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
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Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who this season joined two-time NBA regular season MVP winner Steve Nash of B.C. as the only Canadians to win the award, has dominated this year's NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, a series tied at three games apiece that continues in a decisive Game 7 on Saturday night. Should the Thunder emerge victorious on home court, Gilgeous-Alexander is the odds-on favourite to be awarded the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award. 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But the South African-born, Victoria-raised Nash never played for a title during his remarkable 18-season Hall of Fame career. (Although he would later become a de facto champion by way of consulting duties with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.) In an interview with The Ringer earlier this year, Nash himself admitted that if Gilgeous-Alexander isn't already, 'he'll be the best Canadian to ever play the game — and in short order.' He's done so by approaching the game — on and off the court — with composure and humility, while developing into a leader who recognizes his broader role for the young team and its fans. A case in point: he signed 429 autographs in the hours before Game 2, thinking he'd only signed a few dozen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Greatest season for a Canadian' Statistically, the 26-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., conclusively produced the single best regular season by a Canadian player ever this year. His 32.7 points per game average led the league — as did his 49 games with 30-plus points — and was supported by five rebounds, 6.4 assists and a field goal percentage of 51.9 per cent. His true shooting percentage, a stat used to determine shot efficiency, was an incredible 63.7 per cent. Only two other players in the NBA's history have averaged similar figures: Jordan and 2017-18 MVP James Harden. Michael Jordan is considered by many to be basketball's greatest of all time. Photo by John Swart / AP 'Steve (Nash) would tell you this is the greatest season for a Canadian,' said Dwayne Washington, founder of UPLAY Canada, who coached a young Gilgeous-Alexander for several years before he left to finish high school playing against stiffer competition in Tennessee. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'So when the dust clears, people are only gonna look at statistics, and statistically it's undeniable.' Similarly, Gilgeous-Alexander, already the recipient of the Western Conference Final MVP award, has produced playoff numbers that put him in rare air. He has scored 30-plus points in 15 games, tying him with Kobe Bryant for the most in a single postseason and one off the record held by Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. He also set an NBA record by scoring at least 30 points in 10 straight home games. More history for SGA 🔥 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with 15 or more 30+ point games in a single postseason! — NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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