“One game. Winner takes all. Give it your best shot. Bring your ‘A’ game. I don’t try to complicate it,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of what might be the biggest night of his career. After nearly eight grueling months of basketball—injuries, buzzer-beaters, heartbreaks, and triumphs—it all comes down to this: Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The league hasn’t seen a Finals Game 7 since that iconic 2016 showdown, which only heightens the magnitude of the moment. And for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s not just about tactics or Xs and Os anymore. As Shai put it, it’s about locking in, trusting the journey, and leaving everything out there when it matters most.
The OKC Thunder star participated in the last pregame 2025 NBA Finals Media Day for players before the game. Amongst the reporters included in the press pool were big reporters like Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Jenni Carlson of ‘The Oklahoman’, and Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. During the Q&A session, Mannix spoke first by asking Shai how the OKC squad is making sure that the team comes out with the right kind of energy, the right kind of effort, in game seven. The Western Conference Finals MVP replied, “Um, it has to be an emphasis, has to be at the top of our mind, it has to be all we care about, um, and above all, we just have to want to do it. Like we just have to have a sense of urgency in that… in that part of the game”.
Meanwhile, Vince Goodwill wanted to focus more on the emotional aspect. After all, with Game 7 being the “highest of the high”, the reporter speculated the team’s emotions would need to be controlled and prevented from spilling over. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t worried about that. After all, he admitted, “Uh, we do a really good job of like plugging out of our emotions, and viewing the game and the opportunity the right way. Um, so like, I honestly don’t feel like I have to do too much with this group. They do a really good job of putting the team first above their individual emotions, or goals, or whatever it may be. Um, and getting done what needs to get done. I think that’s why we’ve gotten here”. The lead scorer trusts his team enough to believe that he doesn’t have to do anything special from the emotional aspect.
This is a developing story.
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