“OKC just looked a little fatigued. And the last thing I’ll say is, I said to Doris during the broadcast, with like a minute to go, three minutes to go. That was the first time I’ve seen OKC look like they were trying to figure out what to do.” ESPN’s Richard Jefferson was just one among the many analysts who did not go easy on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co after their Game 1 loss. Why should he have? After all, OKC held the lead throughout the game. However, it did not matter after they blew a 15-point lead in the final minutes. That allowed Tyrese Haliburton to shoot a game winner before the clock stopped at 0.2 seconds.

However, things changed for OKC in Game 2, putting them back as a strong contender for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Therefore, the analyst switched sides, knowing that the Indiana Pacers won’t be able to get the win in this one.

During the final moments of Game 2 at the Paycom Center, Richard Jefferson said, “Looks like the benches are about to start being cleared. Time of death: 9:36 Central Standard Time. It looks like OKC is going to even this up, and head to Indianapolis with a tie.” Yikes! However, also true.

OKC secured a Game 2 victory over the Pacers with a 123-107 win. Tyrese Haliburton and company trailed throughout the game. If the playoffs—and Game 1 of the Finals—had shown anything, it was that this team could erase double-digit leads in the final minutes. But expecting lightning to strike twice was too much to hope for. Former NBA player Austin Rivers emphasized that, after the Game 1 loss, Game 2 was a must-win for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company. Fortunately, they delivered.

As expected, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came out to carry the credit for the win. The 2024-25 NBA MVP made efforts on both sides of the ball. He accumulated 34 points, along with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. He didn’t shoot so well from far, being able to make only 1-4 (25.0%) 3-pointers. However, his 11-21 (52.4%) field goals and 11-12 (91.7%) free throws were better than Game 1. OKC was also aided by a poor performance from the Indiana Pacers. After all, the squad held the Pacers to only 38.7% shooting through the first three quarters.

While Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch performances have become a thing of legend, he has one shortcoming. And that is: he is not consistent overall. Sure, he made 17 points, which were 3 more than what he did in Game 1. However, Haliburton also made just 1 field goal in the first half, while scoring only 3 points. By the end of the 3rd quarter, his total points were only 5!

Richard Jefferson was certainly not holding back over Tyrese Haliburton’s low scoring. After the point guard shot three quick buckets, a reportedly frustrated Jefferson said, “Where was this in the first half? When your team has to set the tone. I know that might not be his natural state, but he’s got to be more aggressive early”. In a way, the former NBA player/ESPN analyst would have been glad that OKC is getting a redemption.

After all, it would have been quite ‘embarrassing’ if the Thunder squad had lost another game, and Jefferson’s praise for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would have been for nothing.

Richard Jefferson picked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Stephen Curry in his fantasy draft

Everyone who was an NBA fanatic from 2009 onwards would have chosen to make some space for Stephen Curry in their fantasy draft. After all, who wouldn’t want the force that led his team to 4 championship wins? Moreover, he currently stands as the leader in the most 3-pointers accumulated list, and continues to dominate even at 37. However, Curry’s dominance in the Warriors’ recent season run was not enough to convince Richard Jefferson that new blood cannot be replaced with old.

A few days ago, the 2016 NBA Champion hosted another episode of the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast. During the same, he went on to state that “At the start of the season, if we did a draft, I’m taking Steph right. At this point in time, in the season, and like looking at their bodies of work from this season, I’m most likely taking SGA. Again next year it could be Steph.” Though the Warriors could not go past the 1st round of the playoffs. While OKC is now 1-1 in the NBA Finals, one cannot simply choose Shai over Steph.

However, Jefferson did it on the basis that after winning the scoring title, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also secured the MVP award over the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. He indeed won the MVP of the Western Conference Finals. If Shai wins the Finals MVP, he will become only the 3rd player, after Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan, to win all 3 (Finals MVP, scoring title, and regular-season MVP) in the same season.

After the recent Game 2, SGA surpassed 3,000 combined points between the regular season and postseason. He, indeed, is the 12th player in NBA History to do so. Even Stephen Curry and LeBron James are not a part of that list. Therefore, if Richard Jefferson is choosing to give his props to the OKC star, then he isn’t wrong to do so.

Looking at how the series is going, the recent game’s commentary was certainly not the last we have heard today from Richard Jefferson. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what other takes he provides in the upcoming games.