Alexander, the regular season MVP, stepped up when the Thunder needed it most in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

Gilgeous-Alexander was off his game for much of the night, but played like the league MVP in the fourth to lead the OKC rally.

With 3:52 left in the game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault leaned into his stars — he started asking for Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams pick-and-rolls. The goal was to force a switch and get Aaron Nesmith off SGA and get Andrew Nembhard on him — Gildgeous-Alexander shot 6-of-9 for the game with Nembhard as his primary defender.

Heading into the fourth quarter on Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder were on the brink of falling down 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Given that they'd shot 2 for 14 from 3-point range and had four more turnovers (12) than assists (8),

"I don't think he ever will be Kobe" - Gary Payton says it's blasphemy to compare Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Kobe Bryant originally appeared on Basketball Network.