{"id":83713,"date":"2025-06-07T22:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T22:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/83713\/"},"modified":"2025-06-07T22:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T22:06:10","slug":"lou-williams-reveals-who-to-blame-for-okcs-game-1-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/83713\/","title":{"rendered":"Lou Williams reveals who to blame for OKC’s Game 1 collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> lost Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals<\/a> to the Indiana Pacers in stunning fashion, and many fans and analysts have tried to pinpoint who exactly is most at fault<\/a> for the upset defeat.<\/p>\n

Although there is plenty of praise to go around for the Pacers, who erased another double-digit deficit and took the lead in the dying seconds of the game, there is also plenty of blame<\/a> to be dished out. With that in mind, former NBA player Lou Williams<\/a> is pointing the finger at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s superstar guard<\/a> and the reigning MVP of the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta give this one to SGA. I thought the ball got sticky last night. I thought he tried to work with the nerves and work some off of the anxiety that he was having for this game. I thought he tried to shoot himself into this game. He probably shot them out of it,\u201d Williams said on FanDuel’s \u2018Run It Back’ on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he was very aggressive \u2014 you had, what, 10 attempts in the first quarter, right? Not necessarily uncharacteristic of him, but this is a team that’s had success in their ball movement, the ball moving back and forth, side to side, everybody touching the ball. And they would turn good shots into great shots. I thought last night they played in a lot of traffic, and it started at the top. It started with SGA. I thought he was ultra aggressive, and it backfired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article Continues Below<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta give this one to SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], the ball got sticky last night\u2026 he probably shot them [Thunder] out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lou Williams evaluates the Game 1 performance by SGA in the NBA Finals \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/p>\n

(via @RunItBackFDTV<\/a>)
pic.twitter.com\/WupoVe3Mru<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Expand Tweet<\/p>\n

In total, Gilgeous-Alexander took 30 shots during Game 1. No other player in Thursday’s game shot more than 19 times.<\/p>\n

The ultra-aggressiveness that Williams said backfired actually worked well in the first half; the Thunder led by 12 at halftime after wreaking havoc on the Pacers’ offense by forcing 19 turnovers in the first 24 minutes<\/a>. The Thunder even held a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but over the final 12 minutes, Indiana chipped away at Oklahoma City’s lead, culminating in Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning jump shot<\/a> with 0.3 seconds to go.<\/p>\n

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will have a chance to tie the series up during Game 2, which will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

Preston Byers<\/a> is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate NBA, NFL, and NCAA Football editor for ClutchPoints. Preston also works as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, and previously was a site expert for FanSided’s Union and Blue.<\/p>\n