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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has maintained a cool demeanor during the 2024-25 NBA campaign, doing everything in his power to stay grounded on and off the court. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has displayed tremendous composure en route to a landmark season, on both an individual and collective level. The Paycom Center will be packed with fans who desperately hope the reigning MVP can fully embody such mental strength in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
He understands the privilege that comes with representing an entire community and country — born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — and is determined to lead OKC to the mountaintop, at long last. Although Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates have the advantage of playing in front of a fiercely loyal and championship-starved home crowd, they will still face unimaginable pressure going up against the moxie-filled Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander must quickly put a turnover-ridden, brutally disappointing Game 6 outing behind him and set the tone in the decisive clash. That cannot be done without supreme discipline. All it takes to cede momentum in a Game 7 is one emotional outburst or technical foul. Fortunately for the Thunder and their fans, the 26-year-old has not had that issue in a long time.
“I was hot-headed as a kid, and then as I've grown I've just understood that getting too high or getting too low especially in competition doesn't really help me,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters more than 24 hours before the biggest night of his basketball career, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “The way I see it, techs is points. And I don’t ever want to give the team points because I can’t control my emotions, so I just control them. It’s that simple to me.”
“I was hot-headed as a kid, and then as I've grown I've just understood that getting too high or getting too low especially in competition doesn't really help me. The way I see it, techs is points. And I don’t ever want to give the team points because I can’t control my emotions,… pic.twitter.com/NYiBg25xNa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 21, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is ready to lead the Thunder into an epic Game 7
Once again, the face of Oklahoma City is expressing a mature and measured outlook. He continues to do and say the right things, serving as a rock for what is still the youngest squad in the league. Besides shouldering a massive offensive burden on the floor, the three-time All-NBA First-Team selection is entrusted to help the rest of the locker room get in the proper mindset before competing on the largest stage their sport has to offer.
Rest assured, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stressed the importance of staying calm ahead of this final showdown with the Pacers. And when he makes a firm statement, it carries immense weight. The rest of the roster knows this man backs up his words on the hardwood.
If he can have a comprehensive impact for 48 more minutes, then this formerly “hot-headed kid” could officially transform into an immortalized NBA champion. Game 7 tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
