Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reveals Why He's Scared of Pacers

The MVP talked about why the Pacers need to be respected in this series.

Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are getting ready for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. It's a series in which not many pundits are giving the Pacers a chance to win.

Despite the fact that the Pacers have taken down the number-one seed in the East and have won the first two games on the road in each of the last two series, they aren't being taken seriously by the media.

The Thunder are making sure that they are taking the Pacers seriously, though. They understand that the Pacers are the best team in the Eastern Conference for a reason.

Read more: LeBron James Heaps Praise on Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton Ahead of NBA Finals

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP of the league and is the best player in this series. He certainly isn't taking the Pacers lightly and understands how good they are.

Ahead of the series, he let everyone know what scared him most about the Pacers.

SGA on the scariest part of facing the Pacers:

"The fact that they're here" pic.twitter.com/t5hTjcFJQq

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 4, 2025

"The fact that they're here. Like, no matter what your route is, no matter who's on your team, to get this far in the NBA playoffs, you have to be a really good team. And every team is going to have their strengths and weaknesses, and they're going to go about the game differently. But to get to this point, you have to be a really good team. And that in itself is strong enough."

Gilegous-Alexander understands that the Pacers had a tough road to go through in order to get to this point. He is respecting the fact that the team was good enough to make it to this stage at all.

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The Pacers know that they have a tall task in front of them to win the first NBA title in franchise history. Taking down the Thunder is going to be the hardest thing they've done in these playoffs.

SGA is going to be a tough cover, much tougher than Jalen Brunson was. He is going to be the player that the Pacers focus on more than anyone else.

So far this postseason, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.