The NBA Finals are almost underway, and the Boston Celtics will not be participating in this season. Boston failed in their quest for back-to-back titles this season after falling to the New York Knicks and will look to return to the top next season.
In the meantime, the NBA will have a new champion this season. For the seventh consecutive season, the NBA will crown a new champion, which is a record for the league. The 2025 champion will either be the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers.
The two will vie for their first champion in franchise history. It should be an exciting matchup as the two teams are hot and playing wonderful basketball. At center stage of the NBA Finals, however, is Thunder superstar guard and MVP of the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander has talent that has taken the league by storm, so much so that he is getting all the respect and then some. Former Celtics champion and All-Defensive guard Tony Allen had high praise for Gilgeous-Alexander, saying he’s ‘probably the best isolation player’ he’s seen in the past 10 years.
“SGA, he’s been so Kobe [Bryant]-like to me, man. You know, last I was saying is [Michael] Jordan. I was throwing that around, but he got the mindset of to seek and destroy,” Allen said on a SiriusXM radio appearance.
"He's probably the best isolation player I’ve seen in maybe the last 10 years"
🔊 Tony Allen has high praise for what he's seen from SGA #ThunderUp@aa000G9 | @WorldWideWob | @adaniels33
Hear Thunder-Wolves Game 5 tonight at 8:30 PM on NBA Radio https://t.co/iiUuqRLHYL pic.twitter.com/IcZWVedbgi— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 28, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander just wrapped up one of the most impressive seasons we’ve seen from a guard in recent years, and his mid-range mastery and footwork inside the arc draw clear comparisons to the late Kobe Bryant.
At 26, Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as one of the league’s premier talents. He’s not just an elite guard — he’s proven to be a true difference-maker. Throughout the 2024–25 season, he consistently backed up that reputation, earning league MVP honors and guiding his team to the NBA Finals, where he also claimed the Western Conference Finals MVP.
His leadership and all-around impact have lifted the Thunder to a level they haven’t reached in years. Despite occasional criticism, his game continues to speak for itself.
Now just four wins away from capturing a championship, Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to take Oklahoma City to the top — and if he does, it could mark the beginning of something even bigger for the franchise.
Receiving praise from someone like Allen — widely regarded as one of the fiercest defenders the game has seen — only adds weight to what Gilgeous-Alexander has accomplished.
