Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't take advantage of Thunder's special bond and chemistry
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't take advantage of Thunder's special bond and chemistry
Besides being a win machine on the court, the Oklahoma City Thunder have become notorious for their off-court antics. Group postgame interviews are a tradition that's spanned years at this point. It graduated from a local gimmick into a national trend.
The Thunder always talk about their teammate chemistry. If this were NBA 2K, it'd be near 100%. No matter who you ask on the roster, everybody will have a similar answer as to how their youth and inexperience have bonded one of the NBA's youngest rosters despite being on the doorstep of a championship.
This all goes back to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is tied with Lu Dort for the longest-tenured Thunder player. As he ascended into one of the league's best and an MVP winner, the 26-year-old has laid the groundwork to create a player-friendly locker room where everybody feels involved.
'We've been as close as we can be as a basketball team. Guys are connected at the hip everywhere we go. We do everything together on and off the court. Above all, we prioritize winning and enjoy each other's company," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think it's organic. I don't think it's been anything forced. It's just who we are and the personnel of this basketball team."
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. What you don't know or haven't experienced yet could be for the better. Despite their unprecedented success, the Thunder remain too young to understand the hardship and cut-throat nature of the NBA.
Just like in the average person's real life, cynicism can grow as you mature into the adult world. Life can be unfair. What happens to you can be unjust. Your childhood wonder slowly disappears when you find out unpleasant answers. But enough nihilism. The Thunder are foreign to that philosophy and are four wins away from achieving basketball's greatest accomplishment of an NBA championship.
No matter what happens afterward, they could always go back to that feat. But first, they must take care of the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder enter the 2025 NBA Finals as a heavy favorite.
"Something you don't take for granted. You'll never know how many times you get to play for a team like this. Especially when basketball becomes a business and not just a kid running around," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's special and we try to cherish these moments no matter what's going on. Wins or losses."
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