The second is clearly not too huge for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
These are his first NBA Finals. It’s laborious to keep in mind that generally. The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder star — and NBA MVP — simply had a pair of debut finals video games like no person in league historical past, with a mixed 72 factors in his first two appearances within the title sequence.
That’s a document. The earlier mark for somebody in his first two finals video games: 71 by Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson in 2001.
“I’m being myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “I don’t suppose I attempted to reinvent the wheel or step as much as the plate with a special mindset. Simply attempt to assault the sport the suitable manner. I feel I’ve completed a fairly good job of that thus far.”
His subsequent assault likelihood isn’t till Wednesday evening, when the sequence — the Thunder and Indiana Pacers are actually tied at a sport apiece — shifts to Indianapolis for Sport 3.
He had 38 factors within the Sport 1 loss to the Pacers, 34 factors in Sunday’s Sport 2 win. Gilgeous-Alexander has extra factors within the first two video games than another two gamers within the sequence — not simply Thunder gamers, any two gamers — do mixed.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault isn’t taking the greatness of the MVP without any consideration. He’s simply come to anticipate it by now.
“Yeah, unsurprising at this level,” Daigneault stated. “It’s simply form of what he does. He simply continues to progress and enhance and rise to each event that he places himself in and that we put ourselves in. I believed his ground sport (in Sport 2) was actually, actually in an awesome rhythm. I believed everybody performed higher individually, and I believed we performed higher collectively. I feel that was a by-product.”
He had eight assists in Sport 2, making him the seventeenth participant in NBA historical past to have that many factors and that many assists in a finals sport; it has now occurred a complete of 34 occasions within the title sequence.
But it surely wasn’t simply having assists. It was the kind of assists that had been key. Of Gilgeous-Alexander’s eight on Sunday, six of them arrange 3-pointers. These eight assists had been changed into 22 factors in all.
“He’s MVP for a purpose,” Pacers middle Myles Turner stated. “He’s going to get off, and I feel that we accepted that. It’s a matter of slowing him down and limiting the position gamers.”
Solely seven gamers in finals historical past — Jerry West (94 in 1969), LeBron James (83 in 2015 and 80 in 2018), Shaquille O’Neal (83 in 2000, 76 in 2002 and 72 in 2001), John Havlicek (80 in 1969), Michael Jordan (78 in 1992 and 73 in 1993), Cliff Hagan (73 in 1961) and now Gilgeous-Alexander — have scored 72 or extra factors within the first two video games of a title sequence.
“Shai, you may mark down 34 factors earlier than they even get on the aircraft for the following sport,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated. “The man’s going to attain. We’ve acquired to seek out methods to make it as robust as doable on him.”
In Sport 1, the Pacers bottled up Gilgeous-Alexander’s supporting solid. In Sport 2, they didn’t. It’s not likely easy sufficient to say that’s why the Thunder misplaced Sport 1 and received Sport 2, however it’s actually a part of the equation.
Or perhaps it’s simply so simple as saying the MVP is taking part in like an MVP. He’s the scoring champion as properly, leads the playoffs in whole factors, simply turned the twelfth participant in league historical past to cross the three,000-point mark for a season (counting common season and postseason), and simply acquired his first finals win.
“I’d commerce the factors for 2 Ws, for positive,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “However that is the place our ft are. That is the place we’re. You possibly can’t return previously, you may solely make the long run higher. That’s what I’m targeted on.”
