'Suck It Up And Get It Done': Shai Gilgeous-Alexander On How He Plans To Deal With Pacers' Defense

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have dug themselves a hole to climb out of after losing Game 3 on the road to Indiana (107-116 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse). The reigning MVP had an arguably off night in Game 3 as the Pacers covered him full court almost throughout the game. 

He finished the game with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks while shooting 9 of 20 from the floor and 33% from the three-point line (1 of 3). Following their practice on the day after Game 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to the media about how he plans to tackle the Pacers' defense.

“Yeah, you got to suck it up. You have to. There's maximum four games left in the season. And it's what you work the whole season for. It's what you work all summer for. So the way, to me, the way i see it is, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in three games played so far in this series. The reporter's question was mainly focused on the Pacers' physicality and how they were statistically picking Gilgeous-Alexander up much higher on the court than teams usually did.

Gilgeous-Alexander, as the reigning MVP of the league, should anticipate this by now that he would be on top of his opponent's scouting reports every gameday. Therefore, this type of defensive attention is something he's used to. The only test here is whether, on the biggest stage of his career so far, Gilgeous-Alexander will be able to find a way to tackle a very physical defense. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tied Michael Jordan And LeBron James On Elite List In Thunder Series

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the Thunder to a historic season filled also with his individual accomplishments. This is the Thunder's first visit to the NBA finals since 2012 after recording the most wins in a single regular season in their own history. 

Following Gilgeous-Alexander's Game 2 performance, he tied Michael Jordan and LeBron James for most games in a single Playoff season with 30 points and 5 assists (11 games).