Shai Gilgeous-Alexander achieved his short-term goals on Wednesday night and positioned himself to achieve his long-term one.
He had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals for a 4-1 series win and a spot in the NBA Finals.
“I know I wanted two things,” he said. “I didn’t want to go back to Minnesota. And then I wanted the fans to be able to enjoy the moment with us. I wanted them to be able to see it unfold in front of their eyes. I wanted them to celebrate tonight in our building, go home, get drunk, do whatever they do to have fun with the moment.”
The league MVP and scoring champion did his part to make those things possible, and now he’s got a shot at an NBA title. It was another example of how playoff basketball appears to have slowed down for him. He forced things at times in the first round against Memphis and in the second round against Denver. Against Minnesota, he was back to making the game look easy. He made 14 of 25 shots and committed just two turnovers in Game 5.
“I think he does a great job of playing aggressive and then letting the game tell him what the right play is,” Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. “Sometimes that’s score, sometimes that’s to pass. But you never really feel like watching him or playing with him — you never feel like he made the wrong read.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points and five assists in the first quarter as Oklahoma City took a 26-9 lead. The Thunder led 65-32 at halftime and 88-62 heading into the fourth quarter.
“All we can do is come in at night and control our energy and our effort and our focus level, give these fans what they deserve and families what they deserve,” he said. “Everyone that’s sacrificed for us, they deserve this moment to celebrate at home. We took care of business from the jump. We were focused. We were together. We were energetic, we were aggressive, and the game turned out the way it did.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s big night went beyond measurables. Coach Mark Daigneault said his leadership helped the Thunder get off to the strong start.
“He just set an unbelievable tone,” Daigneault said. “I think he understood his role in our mentality. He was a participant in that and he was a leader in that. And he was ready to play from the jump.”
For the series, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game and received the Magic Johnson Trophy for MVP of the Western Conference Finals.
None of that will matter when the Thunder play either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks in the Finals, starting June 5. The Pacers lead the Eastern Conference finals series 3-1 with Game 5 in New York City on Thursday night.
“We have to be the best version of ourselves for four nights to reach the ultimate goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We understand that, we know that, and that’s what we’re focused on.”