Oklahoma City’s biggest issue in their loss to Indiana, revealed by NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal

Once again defying the odds—and despite facing a major deficit at several points in the game—the Indiana Pacers pulled off a crucial win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shaquille O’Neal was on hand and broke down the surprising outcome.

“OKC couldn’t, you know, score enough. I think they went to Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) a lot. You know, JDub (Jalen Williams) forced a couple shots and missed,” O’Neal said on NBA TV, while debating with NBA icons Isiah Thomas and Kenny Smith. However, he also acknowledged the Pacers’ effort: “But kudos to Indiana… they definitely stole one.”

Indeed, Oklahoma City once again placed all their hopes in Shai, as they have all season, and the Canadian guard rose to the occasion: he led the team with 38 points—twice as many as Pascal Siakam, who was the second-highest scorer of the night.

But that wasn’t enough, primarily because the rest of OKC’s roster didn’t step up. “I said if you could kind of slow down JDub, you have a chance. He went 6-for-19. Chet (Holmgren) had a horrible game—2-for-9 for six points,” O’Neal analyzed.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals

The three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers made it clear that losing a game like this, at this stage, could be lethal for the Thunder. “It’s not just another game. I understand it’s your first time here, but… it may be another chance you don’t get back,” he said.

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However, O’Neal didn’t hide his surprise about the game’s final outcome. “Nobody expected this. I did not expect this. I thought it should have been a blowout,” he said. “They played some excellent basketball today. And it feels good—we all know this—when you don’t have your best game and you can get a win. Yeah, that just raises your confidence.”

Beyond pointing out OKC’s shortcomings, Shaq took a moment to highlight the Pacers’ winning mentality. “This team is resilient. They never panic. They keep fighting no matter what the situation is,” he explained. “I was sitting there on the floor, and I was like, ‘Okay, they about to blow them out. Wait, okay, they’re about to blow them out again. Wait, they about to blow them out.’ And then it kept happening.”