Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder got their hearts broken in the final seconds of Game 1 in the NBA Finals as Tyrese Haliburton nailed a mid-range game-winner to seal the Pacers‘ 111-110 win. The Thunder led the game from the tip-off until there were 0.4 seconds left on the clock, and were major favorites to win the game.
One of the reasons why they were considered favorites to win this series was not just because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but the Thunder’s ‘Big Three’, i.e, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. While Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander have had a consistent Playoff run this season, Holmgren’s has been a bit of a roller coaster.
He had two 20-point+ games in the Grizzlies series, none in the Nuggets series (mainly due to Jokic’s matchup), three in the Timberwolves series, and has started with a 6-point game against the Pacers in Game 1. The former No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft has averaged 15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 17 games of the 2025 playoffs so far.
Holmgren went two of nine from the floor and did not make a single three-point shot in the game. Several fans, along with troll account admins, went on social media to put Holmgren in a ‘hot seat’ and criticize his Game 1 performance.
“Chet Holmgren, you are disappointing,” wrote an NBA fan on X.
“Chet Holmgren should not be able to fly under the radar for being ASS on the big stage,” wrote another unhappy fan on X.
Chet Holmgren is he wasn't 7'1" pic.twitter.com/FhO0NZ3IVg
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) June 6, 2025
“Chet Holmgren if he wasn’t 7’1” was the caption of a meme that showed Holmgren as a McDonald’s worker.
“Chet Holmgren is 8ft tall for nothing, WTF” wrote another surprised basketball fan on X.
“Chet Holmgren pulled up like this just to go 2/9 and get benched in crunch time,” wrote BricksCenter, a satirical rip-off of SportsCenter meant to be a troll account.
Chet Holmgren pulled up like this just to go 2/9 and get benched in crunch time 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/zCe9G79FbC
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) June 6, 2025
Shaquille O’Neal: Not Impressed With Chet Holmgren
Earlier this week, Shaquille O’Neal went on the Pivot Podcast and gave his honest opinion about the Thunder. He blamed the NBA media for hyping up Holmgren too fast before he reached star status and is currently a role player at best.
“We’re all responsible for this, we give away too many titles sometimes. They got a big two, that mo***rf***ker Jay Dub is serious, he can play. The other guy’s just a role player, stop it… But he’s a great role player. He’s a Horace Grant or Tony Kukoc, not taking away, but he’s not a big three, stop it, stop it”.
O’Neal believes that Holmgren is yet to prove that he is a part of a ‘Big Three’ in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards, during their series with the Timberwolves, called Holmgren the game-changer for the Thunder. Therefore, a lot of expectations are riding on Holmgren’s shoulders.
Next summer, Holmgren will be up for an extension. His performance in this series and the next season could decide how big a contract he gets from the Thunder. Since he will be competing with Williams for contracts expected to be in the range of $240 million+ and more, depending on factors like All-NBA selections.
Will Holmgren be able to turn things around after a rough start against the Pacers? Or will Myles Turner be too tough a match-up for him, like Jokic was? It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Holmgren.
