“One game. Winner takes all. Give it your best shot. Bring your ‘A’ game. I don’t try to complicate it,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of what might be the biggest night of his career. After nearly eight grueling months of basketball injuries, buzzer-beaters, heartbreaks, and triumphs—it all comes down to this: Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The league hasn’t seen a Finals Game 7 since that iconic 2016 showdown, which only heightens the magnitude of the moment. And for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s not just about tactics or Xs and Os anymore. As Shai put it, it’s about locking in, trusting the journey, and leaving everything out there when it matters most.

The OKC Thunder star participated in the last pregame 2025 NBA Finals Media Day for players before the game. Amongst the reporters included in the press pool were big reporters like Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Jenni Carlson of ‘The Oklahoman’, and Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. During the Q&A session, Mannix spoke first by asking Shai how the OKC squad is making sure that the team comes out with the right kind of energy, the right kind of effort, in game seven. The Western Conference Finals MVP replied, “Um, it has to be an emphasis, has to be at the top of our mind, it has to be all we care about, um, and above all, we just have to want to do it. Like we just have to have a sense of urgency in that… in that part of the game”.

Meanwhile, Vincent Goodwill wanted to focus more on the emotional aspect. After all, with Game 7 being the “highest of the high”, the reporter speculated the team’s emotions would need to be controlled and prevented from spilling over. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t worried about that. After all, he admitted, “Uh, we do a really good job of like plugging out of our emotions, and viewing the game and the opportunity the right way. Um, so like, I honestly don’t feel like I have to do too much with this group. They do a really good job of putting the team first above their individual emotions, or goals, or whatever it may be. Um, and getting done what needs to get done. I think that’s why we’ve gotten here”. The lead scorer trusts his team. He knows he doesn’t have to do anything special for the emotional aspect.

In a crucial matchup like Game 7, one cannot let the emotions take hold. Those 48 minutes of playtime are important. Fortunately, if the OKC squad has shown us something during their recent playoff run, it is that they don’t let any unnecessary emotions drive them. As head coach Mark Daigneault himself once revealed, “We stay pretty emotionally even, you know? In all of the different experiences, and you really see that when we win. If you’re gonna get high on the wins. Then, the natural opposite of that is to get low on the losses, and this team doesn’t really swing violently between those two things”.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been leading by example. After losing to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Conference Semi-Finals, the point guard went viral for walking off the court with a smile. Yes, a smile! While displaying that emotion after a loss in itself was surprising, it was made more interesting due to the fact that Shai seldom shows his emotions on his sleeve. He likes to keep it cool.

According to Shai, the calm demeanor fans see on the court today was shaped back in high school. It all started with a heart-to-heart talk with one of his coaches, who helped him realize the power of emotional control. From that moment on, Shai made it a point to master the art of the poker face—learning not to feed into opponents’ egos with visible frustration or overreactions. What began as a defensive mechanism soon became a defining trait of his game.

“To be the guy you wanna be on a basketball team or the NBA, I can’t behave like that or it’ll translate to the rest of my team.” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back then. “As my team goes up and down, so will I and the rest of the guys. It’ll be hard to sustain whatever it is we’re trying to do. That lesson has always stuck with me.”

Now, the team leader’s squad has adopted that ‘poker face’ mindset for themselves too. While this would satisfy several NBA fans, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is not among them. After all, he wants to see at least some emotions driving the players.

Brian Windhorst wants ‘driving emotion’ to overtake Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co in Game 7

During a recent ‘NBA on ESPN’ segment, the 47-year-old famed analyst addressed that OKC won’t be changing its starting lineup. It will be using the same one the team has used throughout the entire postseason. Of course, why should one feel the need to alter a winning formula? Windhorst agreed with this since, as he revealed, “It’s hard for me to fault anything with the Thunder because they were 18-2 after losses, and they probably shouldn’t change anything.” At the same time, however, if the same roster was to be used, the analyst wasn’t willing to drop off from his segment without giving some advice.

“They, in my view, need to play with some more emotion. This is going to be a Game 7. For many of them, this could end up being the most important game they ever play,” said Windhorst. Addressing the lack of a ‘driving’ emotion in Game 6, the analyst added that “I did not see that last night, that these guys were playing for a trophy, and it’s because that’s not who they are. It’s not how they’ve operated for nine months. I understand that. But this situation is different. The crowd is going to be giving it to them. They need to play and channel through that. That’s how you win a Game 7 at home”.

Of course, being devoid of emotion will allow the Indiana Pacers squad to take advantage. All that the OKC squad needs to do is ensure those emotions don’t get the better of the plays that the team mapped out. By this time tomorrow, we will have the answer to what role emotion played in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co’s efforts.