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The NBA Finals start tonight in Oklahoma City where the Thunder led by 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a dominant defense hope to cap off an incredible season with a win over the Indiana Pacers, who are in the Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Gilgeous-Alexander, a former first-round draft pick out of Kentucky, said he’s not had time to reflect ton the season because he’s focused on winning the championship.
“Trying to be the best version of myself for this group and trying to make sure that we’re clicking on all cylinders on the biggest stage of our careers has been on the forefront of my mind and all I do worry about when I worry about basketball,” the former UK star said. “I haven’t really taken the time to look back, see all the things we’ve done. But I will when it’s all over.”
Gilgeous-Alexander said even though he’s never had a chance to compete for a NBA championship, he’s having fun and doing well at “controlling the situations and emotions” as the playoffs have progressed.
“It’ss been a long week to wait (since the last game), feels like the days have gone slow. I just figured out how to navigate through all the emotions and the nerves and the waiting process, which is just plugging into my loved ones, try not to think about it so much, stress about it so much, just enjoy life and stay in the moment,” the former UK star said.
Gilgeous-Alexander says the Thunder cannot change how it has played just because the team is in the NBA Finals.
“Staying true to who we are is the reason why we’re here. We’d be doing ourselves a disservice if we changed or tried to be something we are not once we got here,” he said. “If we want to keep having success, we have to be who we are. It’s organic. It’s nothing we have to think about or force. It’s just who we are, no matter the moment.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has his own unique way to stay mentally focused.
Honestly, I completely plug out. I turn my TV off so there’s no basketball highlights going. I don’t watch basketball. I just spend time with my family, my friends. I try to remove myself completely from basketball because it just consumes so much of my life and my day,” he said. “Then when it’s time to plug back into it, I’m eager to get back into it like I missed it. I just try to find a balance of plugging in and out of it.”
