NBA Finals: The night the MVP refused to lose

On a night where the Oklahoma City Thunder had one of their worst team performances, their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, decided that stats didn't matter. With a legendary individual performance, he rescued his team from the brink and tied the NBA Finals.

Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals will be remembered as the night "hero ball" triumphed over statistical analysis. The Oklahoma City Thunder, tactically outclassed and with disastrous offensive numbers for much of the game, staged a stunning comeback to defeat the Indiana Pacers 111-104, tying the series at two wins apiece. The reason for this miracle has a name and surname: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

For three quarters, the Pacers' game plan worked perfectly. They limited Gilgeous-Alexander as a playmaker, kept him away from the free-throw line, and watched as the Thunder stifled the ball from the perimeter. The stats were a reflection of a team on the verge of collapse:

• * 3-point shooting: A poor 3 of 16 (18.8%) for the entire game.
• * Assists : Only 10 assists on 37 baskets, an incredibly low number that highlights the lack of ball movement and offensive disconnection.
• * MVP nixed (as a passer): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with zero assists, a statistic that in any other context would signal a sure defeat.

With an 87-80 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Indiana looked poised to take a 3-1 lead, a nearly insurmountable advantage.

But then the league's MVP decided the rules of logic didn't apply to him. In the final 12 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander transformed. He stopped trying to be a facilitator and became an unstoppable scorer. He scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, including nine consecutive points that gave the Thunder their first lead of the second half with 2:23 left.

His performance was a masterclass in how one individual can overcome the will of an entire team. Despite not attempting a single free throw in the first half, he finished the match with a perfect 10-for-10 from the line, demonstrating his aggressiveness and composure in crucial moments.

Facing a 3-1 deficit, SGA scored 15 of the Thunder's final 16 points in the final four minutes to secure the victory and tie the NBA Finals at 2-2. This feat is one of the most dominant individual performances in recent Finals history.

Although SGA was the star of the show, the comeback wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of his teammates and crucial mistakes by the Pacers. Jalen Williams was an offensive mainstay with 27 points, while Alex Caruso, off the bench, was a defensive demon with 20 points and 5 steals. Chet Holmgren dominated the boards with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

For Indiana, the pressure took its toll. Benedict Mathurin, the hero of Game 3, had a forgettable fourth quarter, missing three key free throws and committing two unnecessary fouls in the final minute. Those errors, combined with SGA's onslaught, spelled doom for the Pacers.

This game is a stark reminder that, in the age of advanced analytics and game systems, individual greatness remains the most unbalanced factor in basketball. The Thunder didn't win because their system worked; in fact, their system failed miserably. They won because they had a player who, when it mattered, was able to transcend the system and say, "Give me the ball and get out of the way."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 35-point, zero-assist performance is a statistical anomaly that will go down in Finals history. It's not a formula for sustainable success, but it was the only one that worked on a night when his team was on the ropes. The series now returns to Oklahoma City tied, not because of the Thunder's tactical superiority, but because of the iron will of their MVP.