NBA Finals: SGA knows what's at stake for Game 7

The Oklahoma City Thunder has the whole city buzzing. With just one day away, fans and crowds are peaked with excitement ahead of the NBA Finals bout Sunday.

All eyes are on SGA and the boys to perform and close out the series with a win and a championship. That pressure cannot be easy to manage, but Shai said he understands what's at stake.

Watch the full conference above, or follow along for the key takeaways:

Home Court Advantage

1. Being at home creates a familiar, comfortable routine (own bed, regular meals, shootaround).
2. The crowd provides consistent energy and support, which boosts performance.

Adversity and Growth

1. SGA avoids comparing their team’s adversity to others, like Boston’s.
2. Instead, emphasizes how their team learned and grew from its unique challenges.
3. Believes overcoming adversity has been key to reaching the Finals.

Game 7 Mindset

1. Emphasis on urgency, effort, and energy: key factors that can’t be measured with stats.
2. Players need to be themselves—not try to do more or less than they’ve done all year.
3. Stay neutral and grounded emotionally, even in a high-pressure moment.

Execution and Focus

1. Coach stressed the need to improve offensive execution—ball movement was lacking.
2. Team acknowledges the last game’s offense wasn’t up to championship standards.
3. Clear that improvements are needed on both ends of the floor to win Game 7.

Emotional Control

1. The team is praised for keeping emotions in check and focusing on the group, not individuals.
2. SGA has learned over time to stay even-keeled and avoid giving away technical fouls (i.e., “techs = free points” for the other team).

Individual Matchups

1. The player has enjoyed facing Andrew Martin, a former teammate.
2. No surprises—he already knew Martin was a strong defender, but the battle has been fun.

Overall Tone

1. The message was grounded, focused, and mature.
2. The speaker constantly emphasized team-first mentality, personal growth, and sticking to what works under pressure.

NBA Finals Coverage

OKC Thunder NBA Finals 

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Keys to the NBA Finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder 

Get to know the foe: Where Thunder stands against the Pacers 

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