Kendrick Perkins Reveals Thunder's 'Advantage' Entering NBA Finals vs. Pacers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will continue their quest for a championship on Thursday night as they tipoff Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home against the Indiana Pacers.

Oklahoma City has dominated their way to an NBA Finals berth after they finished the regular season with the best record in the league and then easily advanced through the playoffs with their only major test coming in their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets.

Now the Thunder will look to cap off their incredible season by winning the franchise’s first championship since relocating to Oklahoma City.

Of course, the Thunder are the heavy favorites to defeat the Pacers in the NBA Finals and former Thunder and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recently revealed Oklahoma City’s advantage in the series.

“When you talk about SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) we're talking about the best perimeter player in basketball. SGA is 6-6. SGA knows how to get to that midrange. He has the midrange game,” Perkins said. “So, the pressuring him 94 feet, that’s not going to work because he’s faster than Jalen Brunson and when he gets a head of steam and gets downhill, we know he’s finishing.”

"When you talk about SGA we're talking about the best perimeter player in basketball."@KendrickPerkins and @AndrayaCarter think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the advantage that the Thunder have in the Finals ✍️ pic.twitter.com/IdNqy7GRnt

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 2, 2025

It is clear that Perkins believes Shai will be the major advantage that the Thunder have over the Pacers in the NBA Finals and he makes a compelling point.

Shai led the NBA in scoring this season en route to winning his first MVP award and he has continued that into the playoffs as he was named the Western Conference Finals MVP as well.

Of course, Shai has been dominant this season but Oklahoma City also has one of the deepest benches in the NBA, which has been a major factor in their success this season, especially during the playoffs.

While Shai will be the story in the series, and for good reason, the Thunder will also need the rest of their roster to step up against the Pacers if they want to finish the season with a title.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.

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