At first glance, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stat line in Game 4 of the NBA Finals looked… wrong. The MVP finished with 35 points—and zero assists. For a player of his caliber, that should’ve been a red flag. Instead, it was the Thunder’s secret weapon.

This was one of the smartest tactical adjustments we’ve seen in these Finals. The Thunder coaching staff made a radical decision: take the ball out of their best player’s hands… on purpose. While the Pacers schemed to force the ball away from SGA, OKC was already two steps ahead. They let Jalen Williams run the offense for long stretches to preserve their superstar for when it mattered most.

The results spoke for themselves. That “terrible” zero in the assists column? It came with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looking fresher than he had all series in the fourth quarter. He erupted for 15 clutch points to steal the win. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out, “They kept the stress off Shai, and that’s why at the end he had more energy.” This from a player who hadn’t had a single first-quarter rest in nine straight games before Game 4.

What made the adjustment so brilliant was how it flipped conventional wisdom. Mike Breen noticed it immediately in Game 3 – that rare moment when OKC looked unsure and fatigued. Most teams would panic if their primary ballhandler wasn’t creating for others. But the Thunder saw it differently. Sometimes the best way to help your star is to give him fewer responsibilities—not more. SGA still got his points. But by saving him from the physical toll of constant playmaking, OKC got the best version of him when it counted most.

There’s a beautiful irony here. The Pacers thought they were clever scheming to limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s playmaking. Instead, they played right into Oklahoma City Thunder’s hands. They allowed the Thunder to conserve their MVP’s energy for the moments that truly decided the game. As Shai himself said about handling the series’ physicality: “I’ve no choice… what this team wants to do with this basketball game, it comes with it.”

This is what championship adjustments look like. Not dramatic lineup changes or fiery speeches—but quiet understanding. Sometimes, the numbers that look worst on paper tell the most important story. And if OKC wins this series, we might look back at this “terrible” stat as the turning point.

How SGA’s Strange Stat Line Became OKC’s Championship Blueprint

At first glance, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game 4 stat line was historic. Thirty-five points with zero assists? For a player who makes creating for others look effortless. Only Jerry West (1962) and Joe Fulks (1947) had ever posted similar numbers in the Finals.

This was no accident.

The Thunder’s coaching staff made the kind of counterintuitive move that gets you fired if it fails—and canonized if it works. They essentially told their franchise player: “Stop being you for three quarters.” By letting Jalen Williams run the offense and keeping SGA fresh, they turned what looked like a concerning stat into their secret weapon. That goose egg in the assists column became the foundation for SGA’s 15-point eruption in the final 4:38—the most clutch Finals scoring burst in 50 years.

What makes this adjustment genius is how it weaponized the Pacers’ own strategy against them. Indiana was so focused on taking the ball out of Shai’s hands that they didn’t notice OKC was already two steps ahead. His calm demeanor throughout masked the chess match unfolding. While critics obsessed over the zero assists, the Thunder were quietly rewriting the Finals playbook.

Now, with the series tied 2-2 and heading back to OKC’s deafening home court, that controversial stat line looks less like an anomaly and more like a masterstroke. Sometimes the numbers that look worst in the box score shine brightest where it matters—on the scoreboard when the clock hits zero. And if the Thunder hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, we’ll remember this as the night they won by doing the unthinkable: telling their superstar to do less… so he could ultimately do more.