Oklahoma City Thunderguard Alex Caruso (9) celebrates the second half of the NBA Finals Basketball Series game 4 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, June 13, 2025 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Oklahoma City – Alex Caruso was asked if he knew he achieved superhero-type status among Oklahoma City Thunder fans during this playoff run after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
After all, counting twice in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers after zeroing a 20-point game in the regular season tends to affect people.
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“Because we’re just doing Robin for the superhero reference. “There are better players around me who do more.”
It’s part of Caruso’s story and he’s fine with that. He was part of the Los Angeles Lakers team that won the title in the 2020 pandemic “Bubble” and supported the Thunder team alongside LeBron James’ Batman.
He scored 20 points against the Pacers in Game 2 and 20 points in a season-saving victory in Game 4. It’s no coincidence that these are the games that The Thunder won in this series. And his performance in Game 4 was historic. In Finals history, no player has scored 20 points in the game during the title series.
Friday, that’s when he just did it.
“He’s clearly a competitive monster,” Thunder coach Mark Dain said. “He’s proven his career over and over again. Certainly in these playoffs… I can’t say enough about him as a competitor.”
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Caruso, 31, is the oldest player on the Thunder roster. And it’s no problem to point out that his teammates are the wise wise man of the team, a vet with the ring, and are looking for advice on virtually any topic.
“He’s playing games, he’s thinking about games, and he’s coaching the whole game at the same time,” Forward Wallace said. “He’s always a few steps ahead.”
Caruso’s is a typical story of hitting odds. He is a four-star recruit from high schools that have not been drafted by the NBA team, and some coaches are still making him run away.
Among them: Rick Carlisle. Now Indiana coach Carlisle was with Dallas when the Mavericks brought Caruso (the Texas A&M guy) to train. They didn’t even offer him a summer league deal.
Oops.
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“Some of these guys who go under the radar have that level of grit and determination that can take them into the league and have a long life and a high impact on them,” Carlisle said.
James still calls Caruso “one of my favourite teammates to date.” Thunder feels the same about him, for obvious reasons.
Caruso doesn’t have to be Batman. Being Robin is fine with him.
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“It’s really about wanting to win and being very competitive,” Caruso said. “That’s why my career is. That’s why I’ve been successful. So I’m still in the NBA, so I’m talking to you here and now.”
