In a postseason filled with
emotion, grit, and resolve, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stood at
the center of it all – he’s calm, composed, and unrelenting. Now,
two games into his first NBA Finals appearance, the Oklahoma City
Thunder’s All-NBA superstar is putting the finishing touches on a
masterpiece of a season, one that could go down as one of the
greatest individual campaigns in league history.
With 34 points in Game 2 of the
2025 NBA Finals, following up a 38-point performance in the series
opener, Gilgeous-Alexander has the Thunder in a great position to
win a title, and he has cemented his place in rarified air. His 72
combined points are the most ever in a player’s first two NBA
Finals games, eclipsing a mark previously associated with some of
the game’s all-time greats.
And he’s not done just
yet.
Elite company, historic pace
In the postseason, every
possession carries weight, and every moment is magnified. But for
Gilgeous-Alexander, these moments don’t appear to faze him. He’s
not just rising to the occasion – he’s controlling it.
Game 2’s 34-point outing marked
his ninth consecutive home playoff game with 30 points or more,
joining only Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history to accomplish that
feat. In doing so, he also notched his 11th playoff game with at
least 30 points and five assists, a stat line that only LeBron
James and Michael Jordan have reached in multiple postseason
runs.
LeBron did it in three separate
years. MJ did it in two. Shai’s doing it this year.
His consistent brilliance has
propelled him to the top of the 2025 playoff scoring leaderboard.
With 516 total points, he recently passed Jalen Brunson (514) for
the most points scored in this year’s postseason. He’s doing it
efficiently, artistically – and with the kind of poise that makes
it clear: this is his moment.
The MVP is carrying like an MVP
The Thunder have been one of the
NBA’s most compelling stories all year – a young, unselfish team
loaded with talent, built through the draft, and molded into a
contender. But in the crucible of the playoffs, every great team
needs that singular force – that player who can tilt the court,
break a defense, and change the game’s emotional
temperature.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is that
force for Oklahoma City.
After leading the league in
scoring during the regular season and earning All-NBA First Team
honors, he was named the 2025 NBA MVP — a recognition of his
two-way dominance and night-to-night consistency. And now, as the
lights burn brighter, he’s gone from award-winner to
tone-setter.
He’s playing with a purpose that
goes beyond personal accolades. He’s the heartbeat of a team
chasing history, and he’s doing it in the most demanding stage of
all.
What’s perhaps most impressive
is how SGA has handled each phase of the journey with equal parts
humility and hunger. His playoff run has been defined not just by
numbers, but by moments – dagger shots, crafty finishes,
fourth-quarter takeovers, and calm in chaos. He hasn’t just been
great – he’s been inevitable.
A season for the ages
Gilgeous-Alexander’s latest
performance gave him over 3,000 total points on the season –
combining regular-season and playoff scoring – another milestone in
a campaign already overflowing with them.
To put this into perspective: he
could complete the kind of six-for-six checklist that only a
handful of players in NBA history have even dreamed of – league
scoring champion, regular-season MVP, All-NBA First Team, Western
Conference Finals MVP, NBA champion, and Finals MVP – all in a
single season.
Each of those achievements alone
is significant. Together, they form a portrait of a transcendent
season – the kind of year that defines legacies and reshapes the
league’s power structure.
The Thunder’s rise from
rebuilding team to Finals frontrunner has been sudden to some, but
internally, it’s been calculated and patient. Still, without
Gilgeous-Alexander, their timeline likely looks different. He’s the
player who made their future arrive early – and now, he might be
the one who delivers their first title since the franchise moved to
Oklahoma City.
Beyond the numbers
What sets Gilgeous-Alexander
apart, especially in this Finals run, is not just what he’s doing –
it’s how he’s doing it.
His game is quiet but surgical.
He doesn’t overpower defenders with brute strength or dazzle with
deep threes. Instead, he picks his spots, manipulates angles, and
imposes his rhythm. There’s a jazz-like quality to his game –
unpredictable, fluid, yet meticulously controlled.
In clutch time, he’s been near
automatic. Whether it’s using his footwork to dance into mid-range
jumpers or drawing contact for crucial free throws, SGA has been
the ultimate closer for a Thunder team that continues to rise to
every challenge.
It’s that unselfishness,
combined with his relentless work ethic and stoic demeanor, that
has endeared him to teammates and fans alike. There’s an old soul
quality to SGA’s approach – a maturity that belies his age and a
leadership style rooted in accountability, not noise.
The final step
Now just three wins away from
basketball immortality, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder find
themselves on the brink of a championship. But the job’s not
finished.
The NBA Finals will shift to the
opposing city for Games 3 and 4, where the pressure will mount, the
crowd will roar louder, and the resistance will tighten. The
margins will be razor-thin. But if this postseason has shown
anything, it’s that Gilgeous-Alexander has the heart, the game, and
the will to push through.
This run has already carved his
name into the record books. What comes next could define the start
of SGA and the Thunder’s era.
And for a Thunder team guided by
youth and galvanized by Shai’s leadership, the future isn’t just
bright — it’s arriving right now.
