O Canada: Finals matchup between Olympic teammates Gilgeous-Alexander, Nembhard getting attention

Tim Reynolds · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 07, 2025 5:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

The NBA Finals. East vs. West. Indiana vs. Oklahoma City. Canada vs. ... Canada?

It definite seemed similar it astatine times successful Game 1 of the series, anyhow — and likelihood are, determination volition beryllium much of those moments passim the remainder of this matchup betwixt the Pacers and Thunder.

There are 4 Canadians successful the series, and 2 of them — NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Andrew Nembhard for the Pacers — went head-to-head plentifulness successful Game 1. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points; Nembhard scored 8 of his 14 successful the 4th and was connected the level for the entirety of Indiana's 32-16 tally that ended the crippled and turned a 15-point shortage into a one-point win.

"He's a competitor. He's a winner," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Plays the crippled the close mode connected some ends of the floor. Really bully player. Yeah, he's a victor for sure. No doubt."

They person been playing alongside each different since they were kids and were teammates connected Canada's nationalist squad astatine the Paris Olympics successful 2024. And they saw plentifulness of each different connected some ends of the level successful Game 1, positive weren't acrophobic to premix it up with a small other propulsion present oregon prime words there. Nothing implicit the line, but capable to punctual the different that it's each concern close now.

"Nothing much than 2 guys wanting to win," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "No malicious intent down it, conscionable wanting to win."

Canadian takeover successful finals

Oklahoma City's Lu Dort and Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin are the different 2 Canadians successful the finals. The 4 Canadian players combined for 72 points successful Game 1; that's the astir ever successful immoderate finals crippled by players from immoderate idiosyncratic state different than the U.S.

That smashed the erstwhile people for points from Canadians successful a finals game; it was 34, each from Jamal Murray, for Denver successful Game 3 against Miami successful 2023.

"It's astonishing for our country," Nembhard said.

It's not conscionable Gilgeous-Alexander who has long-time familiarity with Nembhard. Thunder guardant Chet Holmgren played with Nembhard astatine Gonzaga arsenic well.

"Obviously, he's my guy, large dude," Holmgren said. "I person a batch of compliments for him arsenic a hoops subordinate and a person. But we're playing against him close now, truthful I'm going to clasp connected to each those."

Pacers manager Rick Carlisle knows the Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nembhard matchup mightiness beryllium viewed by immoderate arsenic a crippled wrong the game. He said Nembhard "loves the challenge" of matching wits with Gilgeous-Alexander.

"I mean, you don't halt players today," Carlisle said. "You effort to marque it hard. He played with Shai connected the Olympic squad and truthful they person familiarity. They are some from Canada and they some person played a batch with and against each different implicit the years. But this is the eventual challenge, a feline similar him who is the MVP."