Losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals on your home court? It’s a gut punch. Losing it on a last-second, heart-ripping game-winner after your MVP superstar misses a go-ahead shot just seconds earlier? Man, that’s the kind of loss that can haunt a team, the kind that can define a series before it’s barely even begun. That’s the brutal reality Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are waking up to after the Indiana Pacers stunned them 111-110. But here’s the wild part: this exact scenario, this specific flavor of Finals heartbreak, has a legendary precedent.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: SGA had a monster night in his Finals debut. He dropped a massive 38 points, carrying his team and looking every bit the league MVP. But with the game on the line, he missed a 15-footer that would have put the Thunder up by three. Seconds later, Tyrese Haliburton hit his now-famous game-winner, and just like that, the home-court advantage vanished. It’s the kind of moment that could make a young star fold, that could plant a seed of doubt.
But this is where history offers a little bit of hope for Thunder fans: Go back to 1991, Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was Michael Jordan’s first-ever appearance on the biggest stage. With nine seconds left and the Bulls trailing, Jordan rose up for a jumper… and missed. It rolled in and out. The Bulls lost, 93-91, at home. Sound familiar? A rising superstar, a crucial late-game miss, a devastating Game 1 loss at home. It’s almost the exact same script.
And what was Jordan’s reaction to that massive, pressure-packed miss? He didn’t crumble. He didn’t doubt himself. In fact, his mindset after that game is the stuff of legend. “Now, if you thought about it, that was a pretty big miss,” Jordan said, per ESPN. “It was my first-ever game in the Finals. I could have folded. But I had no trouble bouncing back because I knew it was a good shot. I didn’t rush it or short-arm it or anything. I just missed it.”
That’s the G.O.A.T. mentality right there! He trusted his preparation, trusted his skills, and didn’t let one miss, even a huge one, shake his confidence. He knew that for other guys, but it was not for Jordan, as he said, “They miss one shot and they can’t seem to ever make one. That’s the kind of negative reinforcement that ruins guys.” But not him.
And what happened next is something that SGA now has a chance to repeat. After that Game 1 loss, a confident and unbothered Michael Jordan led the Bulls to four straight victories, absolutely dismantling the Lakers to win the series 4-1 and capture his first-ever NBA championship. He didn’t just bounce back; he dominated.
Michael Jordan’s first Finals game he missed the big shot at the end and lost Game 1
*He went on to win the series 4-1* pic.twitter.com/ak2kpO7NLw
— 𝘬𝘩𝘪 (@MVPSGA) June 6, 2025
Interestingly, SGA has already one-upped Jordan in one respect. His 38 points in his Finals debut actually surpassed Jordan’s 36 from that 1991 Game 1, putting him third on an all-time list behind only Allen Iverson and George Mikan. He’s already in legendary statistical company. Now, the big question is: can he follow the rest of the Jordan blueprint? Can he shake off this gut-wrenching Game 1 loss, rally his team, and lead them to four straight wins and a championship, just like His Airness did? We’re about to find out.
“It’s not rocket science”: SGA’s response to game 1 heartbreak
SGA’s silky mid-range game and killer instinct on the court had everyone thinking of the all-time greats. But after that gut-wrenching Game 1 loss? It was his vibe off the court, his post-game press conference, that really had people saying, ‘Yeah, this dude is different.’
When asked what the Thunder would do now, Shai gave a classic, no-nonsense answer that just screamed confidence. “We just got to focus on being better,” he said calmly. “This series isn’t first to 1, it’s first to 4, so we have four more games to get, they got three… It’s not rocket science. We lost Game 1. We have to be better.” That’s it. No drama. Just a simple, powerful statement of accountability that lets the whole locker room know their MVP isn’t the least bit rattled.
And he wasn’t just talking tough, he was showing respect and a high basketball IQ, another hallmark of the greats. When asked what happened in those frantic final moments, he gave the Pacers their flowers. “I don’t know, it happened so fast,” he admitted. “I feel like we got matched… It didn’t feel like anything crazy, you just made the play with time running down… Now it’s a 48 minute game, and they (the Indiana Pacers) teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league the hard way.”
That’s some serious maturity right there. He’s not just brushing off the loss; he’s already analyzing it, pointing out that the Pacers taught them a valuable lesson about playing a full 48 minutes. That ability to take a punch, learn from it, and immediately focus on the next round without getting emotional? That’s what his coach, Mark Daigneault, has praised him for all season. It’s what separates the good players from the truly legendary ones.
So yeah, while that Game 1 loss was a brutal way to kick off the NBA Finals, the Thunder’s spirit seems totally unshaken. And you can bet a huge part of that is their leader. Shai’s calm, confident, and accountable response showed everyone that while he might have lost the first battle, he’s fully locked in and ready for the war ahead. And that, more than any on-court move, might be the most Jordan-esque thing he did all night.
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