Something felt off in the fourth quarter of Game 3, and not in the usual playoff-Finals way. It wasn’t just fatigue or missed shots. It was a shift in energy, like the Thunder’s core had been rattled. For the first time this postseason, Oklahoma City didn’t look like itself. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, being their engine, heartbeat, and MVP, wore that burden on his face like a man that had something to prove… but failed miserably.

Mike Breen noticed it immediately. “They looked unsure of themselves in addition to being fatigued, and I’ve never seen that from them,” he said on ESPN. “That’s the first time [OKC] looked that way. They’re such a confident team for a young team—and rightfully so, by the way they’ve played.” And mind you, this wasn’t a vibe check. It was a red flag. And the deeper you dig, the more it screams that something’s up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Let’s zoom out for a second, shall we? Through two Finals games, SGA has poured in 72 points—more than Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, or Iverson ever managed through their first two. His efficiency? Near-automatic. He’s averaging 36.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 steals while shooting nearly 50% from the field. On the surface, he’s thriving. But peel back the stat sheet, and you’ll see the wear and tear.

Because when even Mike Breen, the voice of the NBA Finals and a man who’s called every iconic playoff run of the last two decades, points out that you look unsure of yourself, that ought to make you stop and reevaluate everything.

On paper, Game 3 was already an outlier. Shai touched the ball 65.5 feet from the basket on average—the furthest of any game in his career, regular season or playoffs. Let that sink in, because he was practically bringing it up from the parking lot. “Shai was 65 and a half feet from the basket, so familiar. The most telling thing about that stat: that is the furthest away from the hoop of any game in his career,” which was revealed on Brian Windhorst’s podcast — The Hoop Collective — in conversation with Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon. “Nembhard is such a pest and he’s just up in his skin… it’s T.J. McConnell. It’s whoever’s on him. But yes, all those guys.”

That kind of defensive pressure adds up, and it adds up fast. Indiana had one job, which was to make SGA’s life miserable. Mission accomplished. Shai only brought the ball up 23 times, second-fewest this postseason. He didn’t have a single blow-by all night. That’s only happened three other times since he got to OKC.

Fatigue caught up to dearest MVP Shai

As if that wasn’t alarming enough, the visual matched the numbers. Shai didn’t just look tired, nope, he was… gassed. Breen doubled down on that: “Both these teams… they thrive on wearing you down… but that was the first time [OKC] looked unsure.” And then, the nightmare came to life.

By the fourth, it was more erosion than exhaustion. Shai logged six turnovers (a playoff career-high), attempted only six free throws, and generated just seven assist opportunities, which is the fewest he’s had in any playoff game this year. He was blitzed 12 times in the half-court, the most in his career in the postseason.

And it didn’t stop on defense. “They’re giving him hell… blitzed him 12 times, most ever in a playoff game. And by the way, on the other end, they’re attacking the hell out of him,” the podcast continued. “He was a primary defender on 22 shots—the most ever for him. Right out of the gate the Pacers were posting him up. Look, Shai looked exhausted in the fourth quarter.”

At this point, it feels as if the Pacers aren’t just scheming anymore, but overrunning. They’re doing to Shai what they did to Brunson. What they did to Donovan Mitchell. It’s a pattern, and it’s brutal. Rick Pitino-style full-court energy, minus the chaos. The kind that chips away at you minute by minute, dribble by dribble. One hell of a series, these Finals, man!

And here’s the catch, which ties it all together: no official report hints at an injury. Nothing on the books. But this version of Shai Gilegous-Alexander? This is not just a player battling Indiana’s blitz. He might be battling his own body, too. And if that’s the case? The three previous Finals games might’ve told us more about the rest of this series than we thought. Because, sorry to break it to you folks, but 80.5% of teams that win Game 3 of the Finals go on to win it all.