Difficult as it may seem, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is desperately trying to not think about what may await the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In Oklahoma City, fans, city officials and the team itself are intertwined more closely than perhaps any other NBA market.

After falling behind 2-1 in the series, the top-seeded Thunder have won back-to-back games, dealing the fourth-seeded Pacers their first consecutive losses since March. In Game 5, the Thunder’s NBA-best defense delivered perhaps its most dominant showing of these Finals, forcing 23 turnovers that led to 32 points.