On Thursday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder will look to take home their first championship in franchise history when they hit the road vs the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder got to this point with a resounding finish to Game 5 on Monday, thanks to epic performances from both Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been elite so far in these Finals, and recently, his former Kentucky head coach John Calipari broke down his comparisons with another elite point guard he once coached.

“I’ve coached two MVP’s, Derrick Rose and Shai. Both had the same DNA. Unbelievable teammates, so Shai won’t do an interview unless his teammates are around,” said Calipari, per ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show. “Derrick wouldn’t take a picture unless his teammates are around. You’ll never hear a player that played with them ever say a bad word because they’re great teammates.”

Indeed, the Thunder have become known for their multi-person postgame interviews over the last couple of seasons, making sure the spotlight is never just on one person.

A huge opportunity for the Thunder

Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center
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The Thunder now sit just one game away from hoisting their first Larry O'Brien trophy, a feat the team was never able to accomplish in the days of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The team is surely well aware that closeout games are almost always the hardest to win, and they'll also be going up against a hostile Indiana crowd.

However, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, they have plenty of reason to be confident.

Gilgeous-Alexander was rewarded for his efforts during this past season by receiving the NBA MVP trophy, and Williams has proven himself to be a more than capable sidekick throughout these playoffs, scoring 40 points in the Game 5 win to put the Thunder up 3-2.

Game 6 of the NBA Finals is slated to tip off at 8:30 PM ET on Thursday in Indiana. If there is a Game 7, it would be on Sunday evening at 8:00 PM ET back in Oklahoma City.