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For most of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was being held in check by the Indiana Pacers defense, and it looked like the Oklahoma City Thunder were about to go down 3-1 in the series. Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2025 NBA MVP, managed to find a way to unlock himself in the clutch, however. The Thunder decided to target Aaron Nesmith in screening actions, and Gilgeous-Alexander feasted, scoring 15 of OKC's final 16 points in the final frame en route to an ever-crucial 111-104 victory to even up the series.
Gilgeous-Alexander showed the world why he's the MVP of the league. He managed to get the job done for the Thunder when they needed him the most, and he did so by utilizing perhaps the biggest weapon in his offensive arsenal — the midrange shot — which Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady praised him for.
“I think he's incredible. Because he's the MVP of the league, I think he's really put a spotlight on, ‘Yo, you ain't got to shoot all those threes.' We can get here in the in-between game and make something happen. When the game gets tough, I could play around the free-throw line and get to my spot. I don't have to get here and create anything off the dribble to shoot a three,” McGrady said in an appearance on the The Young Man and the Three podcast.
” He's playing basketball the way Kobe [Bryant] played it, the way [Michael Jordan] played it. In between game is what I see from Shai… He's not settling for threes.”
"He's incredible… He's playing basketball the way Kobe [Bryant] played it, the way [Michael Jordan] played it. In between game is what I see from Shai… He's not settling for threes."
Tracy McGrady on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 🙌
(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/uEShdyyxjE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 16, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets it done for the Thunder
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Of course, the three-ball is a huge part of Gilgeous-Alexander's arsenal. He even made a triple during his crunch-time heroics in Game 4 to cut the Pacers' lead to just one, although it's telling that it was the midrange shot from along the left side of the baseline that gave the Thunder a 104-103 lead that they would only extend until the final buzzer.
The Pacers have been doing as well as anyone can against a scorer as unstoppably complete as Gilgeous-Alexander. Andrew Nembhard, in particular, has been drawing rave reviews for his excellent defense on the Thunder star. But it looks like OKC has stumbled upon a formula to get Gilgeous-Alexander rolling much more consistently, as Nesmith cannot deal with the 2025 NBA MVP as well as Nembhard does.
It will be interesting to see how the Thunder approach Game 5 and whether they'll be more proactive in getting Nesmith on Gilgeous-Alexander or if they'll save it once more for crunch time.
