Pacers Defensive Blueprint: Containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set to face off in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the focus is on how the Pacers will try to contain the Thunder's star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Head coach Rick Carlisle of the Pacers is clear on one thing: his team is not looking to get Gilgeous-Alexander going. "We are not looking to get Shai going," he said on the eve of Game 2. "That doesn't make any sense." In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers averaged 34.2 points per game against the Pacers, finishing a mammoth 41% of the Cavaliers’ offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover. Similarly, in the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks, Jalen Brunson averaged 30.7 points per game, finishing 34.4% of the Knicks’ offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points but it wasn't enough for the Thunder to secure a win. The Pacers' defensive strategy was to force Gilgeous-Alexander to make a ton of tough 2-point shots and keep anyone else from getting off a shot. They also showed aggressive help defense on his isolations and drives, and "nexted" his pick-and-rolls to try to corral him in the two-man game. The Pacers' defensive effort paid some dividends in Game 1, as it influenced Gilgeous-Alexander to put the onus largely on himself. He passed out of just two of his 27 drives to the basket, emblematic of an outing that saw him call his own number more frequently than usual. The key for the Thunder in Game 2 will be for Gilgeous-Alexander to recognize when his teammates are wide open and knock down those shots at a much better clip than they did in Game 1. Non-Gilgeous-Alexander Thunderers shot just 25 of 68 (36.8%) from the field in Game 1, including a 5-of-19 mark off Shai’s passes. The spotlight is now on Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who need to improve their finishing and knock down shots to make up for the Pacers' defensive approach. Williams said after Game 1 that he had a good offensive process and got some good shots towards the end, while Holmgren spoke about needing to improve his finishing after going 2 of 8 in Game 1 against the length and physicality of Turner on the interior. The Thunder are counting on Williams, Holmgren and everyone else to bounce back in a big way in Game 2. The Pacers are also counting on their defensive strategy to work, as they look to replicate what worked in Game 1 and improve on what didn't to take a 2-0 lead in the series. "We don't want Shai getting 38 points if we can avoid it," Carlisle said. "We don't want him living on the free-throw line. We don't want him getting easy 3s — we don't want him making that 3 at the end of
