OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – JUNE 16: Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates … More
The best players in professional sports often emerge in the most significant moments. The path to greatness is never fully lit from the start. Some flashes and moments hint at what could be. A clutch shot here, a game-changing play there. But then comes the stretch where the pressure is highest and the lights are brightest. That’s where the great ones don’t just walk the path, they own it. The glimpses were always there along the way, but to truly emerge, the moment needs to present itself for a superstar to step into the light.
In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Jalen Williams stepped into the light. He established himself as a superstar in this league. On the heels of an All-NBA Team selection, NBA All-Defensive Team honors, and his first NBA All-Star nod in just his third season, he’s elevated his play to a level that could catapult the Oklahoma City Thunder to its first title. Williams had been great in the NBA Finals leading up to Monday night’s game, but that contest is where he truly entered a new territory.
“He was, like, really gutsy tonight. He stepped into big plays. Felt like every time we needed a shot, he made it. He wasn’t afraid. He was fearless tonight,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Williams after Game 5.
The best player on the floor in Game 5 — a contest that included the NBA’s MVP — Williams poured in 40 points to push the Thunder to a commanding 3-2 lead over the Indiana Pacers. He scored from every level of the floor in an efficient manner, making incredibly difficult shots all night and seemingly at the most important times of the game. It was one of the best NBA Finals performances of this decade, especially when you consider the defensive impact he made.
“In order to get better and being good in these moments, and by no means am I perfect in these moments, you’re able to generate good habits when you have the right way of going about it and you have a process,” said Williams postgame on Monday. “I’m extremely fortunate that I have a coach and a staff and teammates that allow me to have those ugly plays during the year and figure out my game. I think right now it’s paid off.”
This ascension couldn’t have come at a better time. With Gilgeous-Alexander establishing himself as a bonafide face of the league over the past few seasons, there was no question he was good enough to be the top option on a championship team. For the Thunder to reach its full potential this season and win a title, it came down to someone stepping up as the secondary scorer alongside him. Williams has answered the call in a big way.
The Thunder couldn’t finish the job against LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, which was the franchise’s first real shot at winning a title since relocating to OKC. From there, a devastating 3-1 comeback held the Thunder back from making another run in the 2016 NBA Finals, as Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors effectively ended another era of Oklahoma City basketball.
But in the 2025 NBA Finals, the Thunder is now one win away from achieving the ultimate prize. Up 3-2 with a chance to earn its first-ever championship, Oklahoma City will march into Indianapolis on Thursday night with a chance to make history. Not only did the Thunder have one of the greatest regular seasons of all time with 68 wins, but the team is also one of the youngest in the league. The star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26), Jalen Williams (24) and Chet Holmgren (23) is just scratching the surface of its potential, meaning this could be the beginning of a dynasty if the Thunder can earn its first title this week.
“We’re focused on one thing, and that’s winning one more game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Monday’s victory.
If Oklahoma City can’t find a way to win Game 6, a highly anticipated Game 7 will take place on Sunday night, with one game deciding everything. If that scenario unfolds, the Thunder will host Game 7 at Paycom Center, giving the home crowd the potential opportunity to see OKC hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Keep an eye on Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who is facing a calf injury he suffered in Game 5.
The Thunder is one win away. One win from doing something the franchise has never been able to do.
