The most hyped NBA Finals is once again heating up, and it’s delivering every ounce of drama we expected. OKC and the once-tagged “underdog” Pacers are locked in a battle for that elusive glory. While both squads have displayed some unreal talent on the court, two names keep owning the spotlight. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Finals legit MVP contender Tyrese Haliburton have been putting on a show since tip-off. But after Game 3, insiders started questioning if SGA’s really pulling his weight. And former NBA champ Paul Pierce is one of them.

Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just the regular-season MVP, he’s also this year’s scoring champ. He has dropped a combined 72 points in Games 1 and 2 alone, including a nasty 34-piece in OKC’s Game 2 win. So yeah, it goes without saying, if anyone’s expected to carry this squad, it’s him. But Game 3 told a different story. Shai finished with 24 points and managed just three in the fourth quarter. Which does not exactly match Shai’s reputation. And that’s when the whispers started, and by now, they’ve turned into questions about his late-game impact. Paul Pierce didn’t waste time either, calling out SGA for losing his grip as the game got deeper.

On a recent episode of Fox Sports’ Speak, Paul Pierce didn’t hold back. He said, “At this stage, it looks like SGA is getting tired. This is a marathon. And it looks like we’re starting to get a quarter through this marathon and they look tired to me.” And he’s not completely off the path. When a team keeps getting pushed to its physical limits without enough time to reset, exhaustion hits fast. That’s when you start seeing defensive lapses, sloppy offense, and mental mistakes pile up. Exactly what happened to OKC in Game 3 against the Pacers. Pierce doubled down, adding, “They start getting tired. I’m seeing missed free throws, I’m seeing uncharacteristic turnovers. I’m seeing guys not be as aggressive down the stretch.”

So Paul isn’t just calling out Shai for getting sloppy. He’s seeing the whole OKC squad losing steam late in games. Pierce even admitted, “It’s starting to look like the Thunder are front-runners.” But if his fatigue theory holds up for another two games, OKC will be in serious trouble. Sure, Game 1 is just one piece of a possible seven, but history loves its numbers. The Game 1 winner has claimed the title 70.5% of the time. And in a Finals series tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner walks away with the trophy 80.5% of the time.

Right now, the math favors Indiana. But OKC’s far from waving the white flag. In fact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already clapped back at this fatigue claim from the NBA world and made it clear he’s not buying this narrative.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander insists exhaustion won’t excuse poor play on the league’s biggest stage

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t making excuses, not now, not on this stage. The Thunder star made it clear on Thursday that there’s no room for fatigue talk with his team down 2-1 in the NBA Finals. “You gotta suck it up,” the league MVP, Shai told reporters, a day after Indiana’s fourth-quarter rally stole Game 3. “There’s a maximum four games left in the season. It’s what you worked all season for. It’s what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you suck it up, get it done, and try to get a win.” Shai doubled down.

Though Shai didn’t outright admit fatigue played a role in his quiet fourth quarter, the numbers painted a rough picture. He dropped 24 points for the night, but only three came in the final stretch, and he coughed up six turnovers. Not exactly his best playoff mark. When asked about it, Shai shrugged it off. “I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s a physical game. We’ve had plenty of those. I’ve been great late, and I’ve stunk late.”

And that’s the vibe right now. OKC had been lights-out most of the season, but suddenly, they’re trailing the Pacers 1-2 in the Finals. Game 4 is where we find out what this Thunder team’s really made of. Can they bounce back and level the series, or will Indiana inch one step closer to that long-awaited title? Either way, buckle up, because it’s about to get good.