Oklahoma City fell flat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, dropping a 108-91 blowout to the Indiana Pacers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had lots to say after their Game 6 performance.
“Definitely in the back of our minds, for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked if the pressure of the moment played a factor. “We didn’t play like it at all. That’s why the night went the way it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that.”
His closing words were even more direct: “We sucked.”
Jalen Williams, who finished the game with a brutal minus-40 rating, (the worst plus/minus in an NBA Finals game in recorded history) had a slightly different view.
“I can’t speak for my whole team,” Williams said. “The human element didn’t creep in for me until we got blown out. I didn’t start thinking about Game 7 until we walked off the floor, really, like, when the game was really out of reach. I think we had the right mindset coming into it.”
Head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t sugarcoat it either.
“They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. That’s the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game. From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic. It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn’t one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game. We have to be a lot better before Game 7,” Daigneault said.
The Thunder’s offensive output was their worst of the entire season, just 89 points per 100 meaningful possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.
Chet Holmgren, who managed just four points on nine attempts, kept it simple.
“I don’t think it’s a one-sentence answer. But at the end of the day, there really is no explanation, no excuse. We have to be better,” Holmgren said.
Now after being among the heaviest Finals favorites in recent memory, they’re heading to Game 7 against a banged-up Pacers team with TJ McConnell and Tony Bradley playing crucial roles, and Tyrese Haliburton fighting through a calf strain.
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