Indiana Pacers successfully secured Game 1 in the NBA Finals beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110.
That’s a good start, but the Pacers still have one task if they want to secure more games to become NBA Champions: neutralizing OKC’s main star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points on 46.7% shooting. That’s not a bad number, especially when he only had two turnovers the entire game.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green gives advice for the Pacers on how to handle this season’s MVP.
Green’s argument is based on his experience in the 2022 NBA Finals when he and the Warriors successfully managed to limit two Celtics stars.
Green helped keep Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to just 23.5 points and 21.5 points per game respectively during that Finals series.
“When we played Boston in the finals a few years back, I noticed something in playing against them. I noticed that Jaylen Brown could pass, but if you help early on him he couldn’t make the pass,” Green explained on his podcast.
“At that time, he wasn’t strong at making the pass if you helped up early, so with him we will help up once he starts driving. With JT [Jayson Tatum], we know he would make the pass early, so we helped late, like at the rim,” he added.
Green said the Pacers need to force Gilgeous-Alexander to his weak spot and direct him to drive to the rim where the Pacers have an advantage.
Green’s advice aligns with Gary Payton’s philosophy that thinks Shai is too good an offensive player to be outright stopped. Instead, teams should try to disrupt him when he has the ball and tire him out.
“And I think Indiana, that’s something they need to figure out. Do not get in front of Shai, get him left. Just ride the right arm and force him all the way to the rim,” he said.
“You got Myles Turner at the rim, you got Thomas Bryant at the rim, you got Obi Toppin at the rim. Is he going to hit enough layups to beat you?” Green added.
The strategy makes sense given Indiana’s interior defense anchored by Turner and their depth at the center position.
Green’s championship experience provides valuable insight into neutralizing elite scorers in Finals pressure, and the Pacers may use that advice in the next games.
