Rick Carlisle on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of 2025 NBA Finals: 'Born to be great'
Rick Carlisle on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of 2025 NBA Finals: 'Born to be great'
While the average fan might flip through the channels, basketball diehards understand the 2025 NBA Finals might cap off one of the greatest individual seasons ever. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the doorstep to complete a rare trifecta of MVP, Finals MVP and a championship ring.
The Oklahoma City Thunder enter as a heavy favorite over the Indiana Pacers in the championship round. The NBA Finals usually feature two of the best teams, but this year's clash has one of the greatest teams ever against a red-hot squad nobody thought would reach this stage.
To say it's one-sided is nicely putting it. I've yet to see anybody credible pick the Pacers to win the NBA Finals. Sure, some might see them push OKC to six games, but that's about it. Gilgeous-Alexander is on a mission to bring home a championship. That'll put him in the pantheon with all-time greats like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant.
Most folks are late to the part, but Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is a basketball junky that doesn't need social media and TV figures to tell him who are the league's best players. Already calling the Thunder the best team on the planet from their last date in March, he went out of his way to compliment the MVP winner.
"This guy was born to be great. You can just tell. He has a demeanor and a coolness and an attitude. He's unflappable. He knows who he is and he has great belief in himself," Carlisle said about Gilgeous-Alexander. "From afar and I've been watching this guy, it's pretty breathtaking. Looks like the guy doesn't even break a sweat. It's really hard to fathom how difficult it is to score 30 points in one men's league game. Let alone doing it every game for two years in a row in the NBA."
I'm sure Gilgeous-Alexander has been drowned in compliments, but Carlisle's comments should stick out for the right reasons. He's one of the greatest NBA head coaches of all time. Wherever he goes, winning follows. So, for the future Hall-of-Famer to pen a vocal love letter like that should bring a smile to his face as he awaits his squad for the NBA Finals.
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