{"id":106829,"date":"2025-06-18T08:47:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/106829\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T08:47:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:47:11","slug":"jalen-williams-brings-great-force-again-as-thunder-nears-nba-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/106829\/","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Williams brings ‘great force’ again as Thunder nears NBA title"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a peculiar distance between the often bubbly 24-year-old and what might be the greatest performance of his life. Jalen Williams<\/a> created it himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When did you know Monday would be a good night, asked the voice filming his amble down the back hall of the Paycom Center, perhaps his last for a while after a 120-109 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, pushing the Thunder<\/a> a game away from the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the game was over,\u201d he said, his eyes flickering in search of an answer that\u2019d efface him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Way to have your moment, a warm, elder voice told him in passing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAppreciate it,\u201d Williams replied in a low-tone as if a door was held open for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His most succinct answer was his 35-minute display, a Herculean ask-me-anything on the hardwood during which he responded to an offseason\u2019s worth of questions \u2014 namely what his value could be on a stage like this. One typically cruel and telling of third-year players, especially with his responsibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Forty points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Nuff said. So he\u2019ll seemingly choose to button up beyond that, because the most colossal win and outburst of his career is now expected to be followed by the next biggest win. The one above all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MUSSATTO: ‘Unreal’ Thunder fans giving OKC ultimate home-court advantage in NBA Finals<\/a><\/p>\n

Jalen Williams joins Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and others in rare NBA Finals club<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City is one more win from the cigar. For Williams, any of the other smoke is exactly that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest game thing,\u201d Williams said, \u201cI’ve gotten kind of numb to. Every time we play in the Finals, it’s the biggest game of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He later added: \u201cIt’s something more that I’ll, like, look back on later than worry about what kind statement it makes. I think the only statement we have right now is we’re up 3-2 and we have to still go earn another win.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that he doesn\u2019t know what he did. He reached for Pacers\u2019 throats with vein-popping, primal roars and rim detonations. He was the engine that swung this series back under the direction of the Thunder\u2019s bug-crushing boot. But he might not care for the details.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams played the fewest minutes in a 40-point Finals game ever (35). Kobe Bryant and Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> each played 38. He joined Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook<\/a> as the three youngest players to score 40 in a Finals game. He became the first player to do so in their first three seasons since Dwyane Wade<\/a> in 2006.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That Williams rushed to 40 didn\u2019t speak nearly as loudly as the fashion he did it in. His rhythm changed. Tap dance to Krump<\/a>. He filtered out the moments where he might\u2019ve previously dribbled endlessly, or flailed near the rim, or chucked an 18-footer over a well-timed contest. He went from sidestep jumpers above the free-throw line to a thousand first-quarter cuts. Finesse to force.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He launched from hell\u2019s cannon. Flames followed his trail. His strides peaked 30 miles above speed limit, worthy of a court date in the great state of Oklahoma. He ran and ran, Forrest Gump\u2019s reincarnation. He was 9 for 16 in the paint, just begging for a SLAM magazine<\/a> poster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Somehow, the first quarter was his most flawed. But the backdoor cuts, his movement in orbit around center Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a>, were the tell that Monday night would be explosive. The Pacers were left to readjust their jaw, yet to be blitzed thus far this series the way OKC did Monday night.<\/p>\n

The Thunder led by as much as 18 before Indiana did the Indiana thing and severed the lead. It got as close as two points, 95-93, with 8:30 to play. Then Williams drilled the 25-footer that started an avalanche.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More: One Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stat that ties Jordan, Kobe and Hakeem in NBA playoff lore<\/a><\/p>\n

Jalen Williams, Thunder can wrap up first NBA title in Game 6<\/p>\n

It snowballed through steal after steal, six for the Thunder in the fourth quarter. Enough transition fury to bury T.J. McConnell<\/a>\u2019s nightmare-inducing 18-point uproar. Enough to guarantee that Tyrese Haliburton, noticeably limping after missing all six of his attempts Monday, never rose to the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Game 5 lived a life unlike the remainder of the series. Oklahoma City, weighed down thus far by its lack of ball movement and scarcity of 3-point attempts, shot and made more 3s than the ever-chucking Pacers \u2014 it was 14 of 32 from deep.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its typical turnover-thriving identity fled for the better part of four games. Monday\u2019s game was closer to regular-season dominance, with OKC forcing 22 turnovers and scoring a series-high 32 points off them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams \u2014 handsy, overbearing, precise \u2014 was at the center of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat force,\u201d Thunder coach Mark Daigneault<\/a> said. \u201cI mean, that’s the word.\u201d<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t one Daigneault has tied to Williams more. \u201cJ-Dub\u201d and \u201cforce\u201d have been interchangeable, for better or worse. Early this season, when questions remained of whether the third-year budding star could realize his potential, whether he could be the right hand Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> needed to hoist the Larry O\u2019Brien, Williams struggled to impose his will.<\/p>\n

His rim numbers were abysmal. Free throws were a foreign concept. He quarreled with officials. He pleaded for ways to transcend the midseason plateau that seemingly threatened OKC\u2019s title hopes. He squeezed out basketball blackheads for the sake of being camera-ready in these Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s times earlier in the season where he had some ugly plays, ugly games, trying to establish the type (of) force you saw tonight,\u201d Daigneault said Monday. \u201cI complimented him back then. But he’s trying to make an All-Star team. He’s an All-NBA player this season. He’s got an individual career that he’s ambitious (about).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

CARLSON: How is OKC Thunder one win from an NBA title? ‘Always starts defensively’<\/a><\/p>\n

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Jalen Williams’ Game 5: ‘It’s no fluke’<\/p>\n

In the 10 games since the Thunder tipped off the West Finals versus Minnesota, Williams has averaged 24 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists, all while shooting 40% from 3 on 4.5 attempts. Monday\u2019s outburst was the only one capable of sweeping Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s 31-point, 10-assist outing under the rug.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eruptive drives, and-ones that send chills through the Paycom congregation. Sound familiar? Why not? Westbrook\u2019s spirit, at the very least, lives in the fire Williams projects in his screams. That piercing look their victims receive when the at-rim damage is done.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But living up to the last regime is not where Williams exhales. He\u2019d like to be immortalized for doing what his predecessors never could, and for what his detractors questioned he was capable of \u2014 not simply being a game away from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he’s not satisfied by this performance,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander said of Williams. \u201cYeah, he works hard. He played well tonight because of it. It’s no fluke.\u201d<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt<\/a> sat across from Williams at midcourt postgame. He peeled back at Williams’ exhaustion. Williams circled a later date when asked about Monday, his moment. Now wasn’t the time to revel.<\/p>\n

“Having fun?” Van Pelt quipped.<\/p>\n

“I am,” Williams shot back, an awkward smile following.<\/p>\n

“All business,” Van Pelt determined.<\/p>\n

Maybe under champagne showers, and only then, will Williams crack that boyish smile at the player he\u2019s become in these playoffs. He’s willing to wait at least one more game.<\/p>\n

REPORT CARD: Jalen Williams, Red Panda steal the show in NBA Finals Game 5<\/a><\/p>\n

Joel Lorenzi\u00a0covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or on X\/Twitter at\u00a0@joelxlorenzi. Sign up for the\u00a0Thunder Sports Minute newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to access more NBA coverage. Support Joel’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a\u00a0digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a peculiar distance between the often bubbly 24-year-old and what might be the greatest performance of his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2126,7,311,2127,1501,257,2125,113,126,832,364,70,85,6,1220,11,62,67,310,179,61,81,114,66,83,55,2128,312,256,278,833],"class_list":{"0":"post-106829","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-city","11":"tag-enabled","12":"tag-finals","13":"tag-haliburton","14":"tag-highlights","15":"tag-indiana","16":"tag-indiana-pacers","17":"tag-jalen","18":"tag-jalen-williams","19":"tag-national","20":"tag-national-sports","21":"tag-nba","22":"tag-nba-finals","23":"tag-nba-playoffs","24":"tag-neutral","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-oklahoma","27":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","28":"tag-overall","29":"tag-overall-neutral","30":"tag-pacers","31":"tag-sports","32":"tag-sports-news","33":"tag-story","34":"tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","35":"tag-thunder","36":"tag-tyrese","37":"tag-tyrese-haliburton","38":"tag-williams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114703502145247852","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}