After dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder from pillar to post, the Indiana Pacers gave themselves a lifeline and forced a Game 7 out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. Now, this series will be decided at the Paycom Center on Sunday. But as the Thunder gear up to rectify their Game 6 mistakes, an NBA analyst did not mince his words as he laid out an issue with some of the Thunder’s players heading into Game 7.

See, the Indiana Pacers led by 31 at one point in the game. And in the NBA Finals, with the championship on the line, that just will not fly for the Thunder. And ESPN’s Tim Bontemps explained how the lack of help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams face could end up costing them.

“The Pacers are a team that can hit a ton of threes. And the Thunder are a team that can get really, really cold from three. And if their other guys are not hitting threes, a lot of the time, it’s just Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and not a lot else. If you get in one game like this, you have some guys get hot, Obi Toppin gets hot, McConnell does this thing. All of a sudden, you could be in a situation where you’re down 10 in the third quarter. And you’re trying to manufacture offense. And there might not be enough there,” said Bontemps.

And this? This was a warning shot to the 12 Thunders players not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. But why is Tim bringing this up?

Well, we saw this exact scenario play out tonight. The Indiana Pacers players drained 3s like they were on the playground tonight. They went 15-42 from beyond the arc. Obi Toppin led the team in 3s, making 4 from 7 attempts. While that’s impressive for Indy, it’s a veritable death sentence for the Thunder. After all, their starters went 1-13 from the 3-point line tonight.

And among them was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who didn’t have the best night either, despite putting up 21 points. But the Canadian star was extremely critical of himself and his team tonight. Why? Well, he fears that his team may come up with “nothing” after Game 7.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is anxious heading into Game 7 of the NBA Finals

Much like Tim Bontemps, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not mince his words when critiquing the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight.  However, unlike Tim, Shai didn’t shy away from straight-up cussing at his and his team’s performance tonight. “The way I see it is, we s—– tonight,” he said.

But SGA also revealed why he was so serious in criticising the Thunder’s Game 6 showing — he knows there’s no do-overs after Game 7. This is it for both teams. And here’s what Shai said about what the game on Sunday means to him and why he’s so anxious about it.

“It’s one game for everything you ever dreamed of. If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get. It’s that simple,” said the 2025 NBA MVP. And he’s not wrong. After all, the Thunder have everything to gain and everything to lose in this upcoming game. Additionally, they’re coming off an awful performance in Game 6. So, Shai’s seriousness and apparent anxiety are not at all surprising at this juncture.

Game 7 will be the moment of truth for both teams. But he has an opportunity to put all those demons to rest on Sunday. And knowing the 2025 MVP, we’re sure he’ll show up. So make sure you do too, and if you’re looking for where and when, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Game 7 is going to be chaos—in the best way. We’re covering every clutch shot, every call, every moment. Check back with our live news center so you’re not the one asking what just happened.