Latest news with #Jokić
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Thunder team I played for could have been a dynasty. This one still can
I was in Oklahoma City last month as the Thunder clinched their Western Conference semi-final against the Nuggets in Game 7, and saw first-hand the Thunder run Denver off the court. The game wasn't even close. The Thunder outplayed them on both sides of the court. Defensively, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault put the 6ft 5in Alex Caruso on in the 6ft 11in Nikola Jokić and, surprisingly, it worked. With Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein providing help-side support, I watched a frustrated Jokić struggle to get to his spots. His usual tricks – flopping, drawing fouls – didn't work. The Thunder defense moved in perfect sync, and it completely disrupted Denver's rhythm. Advertisement It was absolutely beautiful to watch. The Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named league MVP shortly afterwards, beating Jokić into second, and he thoroughly deserved the award. Their superior defense was on display again in the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the Game 5 win that sealed the Thunder's progress to the NBA finals, I watched them destroy the Timberwolves and defense was once again the key. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards described the Thunder's defense as: 'One string, 15 puppets on one string.' Related: The New York Knicks' season is over, but a divisive inquest has only just begun That's what's driven their rise all year. In a league where defense is often overlooked or criticized, the Thunder have made it their identity. And now, they're just four wins away from an NBA title. Advertisement But as I have been enjoying this current Thunder team, I can't help but think back to the Thunder team I played for in 2010. The Thunder are heavily favored to beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA finals, which start on Thursday, and they are the youngest team to ever make the finals since … the Thunder did so with a whole different cast in 2012. But I can say with 100% confidence, that if the Thunder kept that team – with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka – they would have won multiple championships. Back in 2009-2010, when I was part of the roster, the Thunder were extremely young. Scott Brooks was the coach. It was James Harden's rookie year. I remember when I first met him, he shook my hand and said: 'Nice to meet you sir. I grew up watching you play in college with Syracuse. You was blocking everything and dunking everything' That's when I realized I was now the old man in the room. But it also hit me – Harden was in the same position I'd once been in when I joined the Washington Wizards as a rookie, meeting guys like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Christian Laettner. Advertisement Throughout that season, myself, Kevin Ollie and Nick Collison, who were some of the elder statesmen on the team, would sit and watch the younger guys, shaking our heads and saying, 'These young cats have no idea how good they are going to be'. It all started with KD. He was the youngest player to ever lead the league in scoring at the time. And his work ethic was something I had never seen before. I remember after one practice, KD was doing this drill he liked – playing one-on-one against an invisible defender. But he went at it with the intensity of someone competing in the NBA finals. Every move was as sharp and deliberate as possible. Everything was at game speed. Advertisement After practice, we all went in – showered, ate, got treatment, talked. Some of the coaches watched film with players. Then we came back out to the court, and KD was still out there, going full speed with his one-on-one moves. Dripping with sweat. He'd been at it for nearly two hours. I had never seen that kind of focus before. But when the team's star is working that hard, everyone else falls in line-and that's exactly what happened. The whole team rose to his level. Even after someone had a big game, they were back in the gym the next day, working like they'd just lost. They were running defensive slides and drills in the middle of the season, when most teams were cutting practice time. Harden fell right in line and worked hard every day. Even when he made rookie mistakes, he picked up the work ethic quickly. It was clear – if KD didn't have a problem being criticized, Harden couldn't either. I watched Harden study KD closely – how hard he worked on his shot, his offensive moves, his cuts to the basket, how he moved without the ball. Even after dropping 40 the night before, KD went right back to work. And Harden noticed. Advertisement Then there was Russell Westbrook – fearless, relentless. He trained harder than anyone and played like a Tasmanian devil, all intensity and energy. He'd pick up full court, never taking a play off. I remember Coach Brooks telling the staff, 'If we don't get this guy to slow down, he's going to wear himself out.' But he never did. He just kept going – full speed, all the time. Westbrook was being mentored by Maurice Cheeks, who really took him under his wing, guiding and encouraging him. I remember hearing them talk on the plane after games – you could feel the intensity and passion in Russ's voice. That hunger was real, and it was going to take him far. And it did. Then there was Jeff Green – one of the most underappreciated players on that Thunder team, in my opinion. He was an integral part of their success. He never complained about shots, touches, or a lack of recognition. He just showed up and did his job. Too quick for most power forwards, too strong for most small forwards, and incredibly efficient. He didn't back down from anyone. And his ability to guard positions 2 through 5 made him invaluable. Ibaka was young, athletic, and raw – but he was soaking everything in. He watched KD's work ethic, Westbrook's intensity, Green's professionalism, Harden's shooting (he even did all the shooting drills Harden did on his own time), and Thabo Sefolosha's defensive awareness. Thabo, by the way, was also a key part of that team. Advertisement Let me be clear: I'm not placing blame on the organization or any player for why this group didn't stay together and become a dynasty. But the talent was there. And they were only going to get better. This will go down as one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history – not if they would've won a title together, but how many they could have won if they'd stayed together. This current OKC team has similar levels of talent. But this time, there's a real chance to finish what they started. And with the NBA finals starting Thursday, they have the chance to begin a championship run – one that could last for years.
Vancouver Sun
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Steve Nash inspired generations. Now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing the same
The NBA just can't help but recycle stories. A playmaking Canadian guard, battling it out for league MVP with a dominant European forward. That was the story 20 years ago, when Steve Nash beat Dirk Nowitzki. And that was the story this week with Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander beating Nikola Jokić. Gilgeous-Alexander said Nash was one of the first players he remembers watching as a kid. Now, Nash and the world are watching the Hamilton native. 'It means the world. There's no better feeling than watching these guys thrive and them saying you had an effect on them. That makes it all worthwhile and special,' Nash said Thursday. 'And I don't know that there could be many compliments higher than that. It's an honour that I was able to play some role in perhaps allowing them to dream and see what's possible. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'He's also inspiring a new generation, or many generations. It's very powerful to have a player and a figure like that.' When Nash won the award — back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 — he was the only other international player besides Hakeem Olajuwon to have been named MVP. Forty-eight of the previous 49 were U.S.-born players. Nowitzki got his due in 2007, then it was another decade of American winners. But the past seven MVP awards have all gone to international players. Nash's wins started it. SGA's just confirms it. 'It just speaks to the (game's) increasingly global nature. It's a truly big global sport,' said Nash. 'I mean, that's the way it should look, right? It shouldn't just be Americans all the time. The fact that people are succeeding from all the different countries and backgrounds, I think, is fantastic. It's only making the game greater. It's only making the game more global. 'That should be the norm. Obviously, there's a history of amazing basketball players in the United States — and will continue to be. In a sense, it's the foundation of the game — but this is the way the game should be. I don't think anyone would want the game to become just an American game. I think Americans want to see these incredible players from all over the world. I think the world wants to see it become more and more global. 'I think it tells more stories. It makes the world more common and relatable and brings people together.' A post shared by CelsiusFits Media (@celsiusfits) Giannis Antetokounmpo. Joel Embiid. Jokić. All have achieved MVP tier. Luka Dončić may yet do it. Victor Wembanyama is expected to. SGA was second to Jokić in voting last year, and beat both the Joker and Antetokounmpo this season. But there may be more Canadian talent waiting to emerge. No other country outside of the U.S. has had as many lottery picks in the draft. It wasn't always this way. When Nash broke into the league, few knew he was Canadian. Now the North is producing more NBA players than many U.S. cities, like New York or Miami. 'To think when I came in the league … it was Rick Fox and Bill Wennington. Rick, I think, spent two weeks in Canada before moving to the Bahamas, and then had a great career. But that was the kind of place the Canadian landscape was. It was pretty thin and barren,' Nash said. 'But with the Raptors and Grizzlies for a period of time, coming to Canada, the internet making the world smaller and sharing information, with AAU basketball crossing the border, our kids believe they're as good as anybody. 'They've been doing this now for a couple of decades. The game's just grown. More hoops and driveways, more coaches, better coaches … it all leads to funnelling more talent toward the game and more talent matriculating in the game. 'So it has been an explosion, and to think that we are now constantly having to cut or not accommodate NBA players on our national team from where we were, 20, 30, 40, years ago is remarkable. It's a testament to just how much the game is growing, how popular it is, and back to the whole global nature of the sport.' There are parallels to Nash and SGA's stories, but the most common thread is their work ethic. Nash's workouts were legendary, even the beer-fuelled off-season ones . SGA's intensity on the practice court caught Chris Paul's attention, with the superstar mentoring him during his early years in the NBA because he was impressed with how hard he worked. Both were first-round draft picks — Nash at 15, SGA at 11 — but were considered projects to be groomed, and came into their own later in their careers. 'He's got an incredible process and desire and work ethic, incredible character. That's what's gotten him here, and that's what will allow him to continue on this path. It's not complicated, you know? It's just a matter of keeping it simple and doing what he does best,' said Nash. 'My story is pretty improbable. I love that about it. I wasn't 6-8, 260 and the fastest, strongest person. And so I love my story, if I can say that, because it's improbable, and I think it shows people that you can accomplish a lot more than you are allowed to believe if you work for something, you find belief, confidence, momentum and have the discipline to do it with passion every single day. 'I genuinely get super excited to see his success, and really, probably my favourite player to watch. I just hope he continues on this trajectory and continues to rack up seasons like this. … He's phenomenal.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA MVP over Nikola Jokić, concluding hotly debated race
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA MVP over Nikola Jokić on Wednesday in one of the most debated and contested MVP races in recent memory. The MVP is the first for Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA's best record as the league's leading scorer. Gilgeous-Alexander finished in the top five of MVP voting in the previous two seasons as a first-team All-NBA selection. Now, at 26 years old, he's claimed the league's top individual honor as his own and etched his name alongside the greats of NBA history. Giannis Antetokounmpo was also a finalist. Gilgeous-Alexander secured 71 of the 100 first-place votes, while Jokić received the remaining 29. No other player received first- or second-place votes. A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player complete voting results ⬇️ — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2025 In 76 regular-season games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a league-best 32.7 points alongside 6.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% on 5.7 3-point attempts per game. He was a standout on defense who averaged 1.7 steals and one block per game for a team that led the NBA in defensive rating with 106.6 points allowed per 100 possessions. He did all of this during a dominant season for the Thunder in which they clinched the No. 1 seed in the West on March 20 with 13 games remaining on their regular-season schedule. Oklahoma City finished the regular season at 68-14, 16 games ahead of the second-place Houston Rockets (52-30) in the West and four games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished the season with the NBA's second-best record (64-18). Gilgeous-Alexander's package of excellence on both sides of the ball for the NBA's best team ultimately compelled voters to award him his first MVP and deny Jokić his fourth. Jokić, who won three of the previous four NBA MVPs for the Denver Nuggets, made a strong case for his fourth with a campaign that stands as one of the greatest individual statistical seasons in NBA history. In 70 regular-season games, Jokić averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 57.6% from the floor and 41.7% on 4.7 3-point attempts per game. Jokić joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a full season. Jokić also rated elite in advanced metrics and finished the season with the fourth-highest player efficiency rating (PER) in NBA history (32.04), trailing only his 2021-22 MVP self (32.85), 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain (32.08) and 2021-22 Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.05). Gilgeous-Alexander also rated well with the 25th-best PER in league history (30.66), but his PER profile didn't match up with Jokić's. He did edge Jokić in win shares per 48 minutes, another advanced statistical profile that's given considerable weight in evaluating individual performances. Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with .309 win shares per 48 minutes, just ahead of Jokić's .307. Cleveland's Jarrett Allen finished a distant third with .243, while MVP finalist Antetokounmpo finished with .241. For a seventh straight season, Jokić led a Nuggets team without another All-Star into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the West with a 50-32 record. The Nuggets were a completely different team with Jokić off the floor. With Jokić on the court, Denver outscored its opponents by 594 points. Without Jokić, opponents outscored the Nuggets by 275. By comparison, a superior Thunder team outscored opponents with Gilgeous-Alexander on the court by an overwhelming 918 points. The Thunder were still better without Gilgeous-Alexander and outscored opponents by 137 points when he was on the bench. The MVP finalists met on the floor in the second round of the playoffs, where Gilgeous-Alexander also got the upper hand on Jokić. Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder concluded a hotly contested seven-game series in the Western Conference semifinals with a Game 7 blowout of the Nuggets on Sunday, ending Denver's hopes of a second NBA championship in three seasons. The Thunder advanced to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals and won Game 1 in a runaway Tuesday night. Playoff results had no bearing on MVP voting, which was tallied at the conclusion of the regular season. Ultimately, Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the league's best team and the league's leading scorer. And that proved to be enough for voters to separate Gilgeous-Alexander from Jokić in an MVP debate that won't end because the trophy's been handed out.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning the MVP award is another team victory for the Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY — It wasn't a shock to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win his first Most Valuable Player award, and usually these things follow a script of sorts. There were tears — referencing his wife. There was the praise for his teammates, who sat with him on the stage as he talked about his road. And there was also the bling, but that was a bit different. It wasn't his own, but that of his teammates, who were sporting new Rolexes as a gift from Gilgeous-Alexander for winning the MVP trophy. Usually you see this in other sports, when a running back reaches 2,000 yards or a quarterback wins MVP, they gift their offensive lineman something as a token of thanks. It happens in basketball, too, but this took a little more gumption from Gilgeous-Alexander. The conversations began in earnest last season on the team bus, what he would do if he actually won the award. 'I don't know what brought it up, but watches was in the conversation,' he said. 'And a lot of guys on the team like watches, who doesn't like watches. And then I said yes, which was also silly on my part, but I said yes. 'And then as I got closer to achieving the goal, I was like, 'Wait a second. I actually have to do what I said I was going to do.'' The MVP announcement was made an hour before the press conference, but clearly Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had a feeling the two-man race would actually be quite definitive. And it was. Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo were the three finalists announced by the NBA, but most agreed the stiffest competition would come between the two Western Conference finalists — who happened to go head-to-head in the last round of the playoffs. It was almost a clean reversal from last season in terms of how 1-2 laid out. Gilgeous-Alexander received 71 of the 100 first-place votes while Jokić received the other 29. Last year, Jokić earned 79 first-place votes while Gilgeous-Alexander took 15 of them. The team success of the Thunder was as much a deciding factor as much as Gilgeous-Alexander's individual play. The Thunder finished a whopping 18 games ahead of Denver in the standings, thus negating Jokić's bid for a fourth MVP award — Jokić averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists to Gilgeous-Alexander's 32.7 points (league leader), 6.4 assists and 5 rebounds. It makes seven straight years a non-American has won the award, and Gilgeous-Alexander will be presented the Michael Jordan trophy before Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night at Paycom Center. He's been a premier player for years, but his profile has increased as the Thunder have improved after a couple of rocky years following his 2019 trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished fifth in 2022-23 voting, as it was clear the Thunder were coming. That was when he initially began believing he could play at an MVP level. 'I always thought that I could be a really good player, because I had seen what just putting your head down and working and controlling what you control can do for you,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I never thought this was going to happen. I dreamt about as a kid, but as a kid, it's a fake dream. 'But as the days go on and you realize that, you get closer to your dream, it's hard to not freak out. It's hard to not be a six-year-old kid again, and I think that's what's allowed me to achieve it.' He's the third Thunder player to win the award, following in the lineage of Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017). Another drafted Thunder player, James Harden, won the award in 2018, although he'd been traded to the Houston Rockets before the start of the 2012-13 season. The franchise in a small period has shown an ability to draft special players, and when they were trading Paul George to the Clippers following the 2018-19 season, the rookie Gilgeous-Alexander was a sticking point as much as the treasure trove of draft picks the Thunder also received. So he and the Thunder franchise and players have grown together. 'We prioritize the right things, and we prioritize winning,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We prioritize getting better. We prioritize each other's success. ... We've just focused on those things every day. Every day it's becoming, how can we get better individually and as a group? Every day, it's a learning process.' He reverts to a karate book that helped him through his own personal ups and downs. 'The message in the book was basically that success isn't linear, so it's never just like this,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, putting his hands up and down to signify the roller coaster. 'It's always up and down, and you get three to go up four, and you dip again to go up six, and before you look at it, you're up 10.' That seems similar to how Oklahoma City has dominated its season, quietly taking down every team along the way, and on this day, both Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates reaped some very shiny awards.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning the MVP award is another team victory for the Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY — It wasn't a shock to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win his first Most Valuable Player award, and usually these things follow a script of sorts. There were tears — referencing his wife. There was the praise for his teammates, who sat with him on the stage as he talked about his road. Advertisement And there was also the bling, but that was a bit different. It wasn't his own, but that of his teammates, who were sporting new Rolexes as a gift from Gilgeous-Alexander for winning the MVP trophy. Usually you see this in other sports, when a running back reaches 2,000 yards or a quarterback wins MVP, they gift their offensive lineman something as a token of thanks. It happens in basketball, too, but this took a little more gumption from Gilgeous-Alexander. The conversations began in earnest last season on the team bus, what he would do if he actually won the award. 'I don't know what brought it up, but watches was in the conversation,' he said. 'And a lot of guys on the team like watches, who doesn't like watches. And then I said yes, which was also silly on my part, but I said yes. Advertisement 'And then as I got closer to achieving the goal, I was like, 'Wait a second. I actually have to do what I said I was going to do.'' The MVP announcement was made an hour before the press conference, but clearly Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had a feeling the two-man race would actually be quite definitive. And it was. Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo were the three finalists announced by the NBA, but most agreed the stiffest competition would come between the two Western Conference finalists — who happened to go head-to-head in the last round of the playoffs. Advertisement It was almost a clean reversal from last season in terms of how 1-2 laid out. Gilgeous-Alexander received 71 of the 100 first-place votes while Jokić received the other 29. Last year, Jokić earned 79 first-place votes while Gilgeous-Alexander took 15 of them. The team success of the Thunder was as much a deciding factor as much as Gilgeous-Alexander's individual play. The Thunder finished a whopping 18 games ahead of Denver in the standings, thus negating Jokić's bid for a fourth MVP award — Jokić averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists to Gilgeous-Alexander's 32.7 points (league leader), 6.4 assists and 5 rebounds. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration) It makes seven straight years a non-American has won the award, and Gilgeous-Alexander will be presented the Michael Jordan trophy before Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night at Paycom Center. Advertisement He's been a premier player for years, but his profile has increased as the Thunder have improved after a couple of rocky years following his 2019 trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished fifth in 2022-23 voting, as it was clear the Thunder were coming. That was when he initially began believing he could play at an MVP level. 'I always thought that I could be a really good player, because I had seen what just putting your head down and working and controlling what you control can do for you,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I never thought this was going to happen. I dreamt about as a kid, but as a kid, it's a fake dream. 'But as the days go on and you realize that, you get closer to your dream, it's hard to not freak out. It's hard to not be a six-year-old kid again, and I think that's what's allowed me to achieve it.' Advertisement He's the third Thunder player to win the award, following in the lineage of Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017). Another drafted Thunder player, James Harden, won the award in 2018, although he'd been traded to the Houston Rockets before the start of the 2012-13 season. The franchise in a small period has shown an ability to draft special players, and when they were trading Paul George to the Clippers following the 2018-19 season, the rookie Gilgeous-Alexander was a sticking point as much as the treasure trove of draft picks the Thunder also received. So he and the Thunder franchise and players have grown together. Advertisement 'We prioritize the right things, and we prioritize winning,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We prioritize getting better. We prioritize each other's success. ... We've just focused on those things every day. Every day it's becoming, how can we get better individually and as a group? Every day, it's a learning process.' He reverts to a karate book that helped him through his own personal ups and downs. 'The message in the book was basically that success isn't linear, so it's never just like this,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, putting his hands up and down to signify the roller coaster. 'It's always up and down, and you get three to go up four, and you dip again to go up six, and before you look at it, you're up 10.' That seems similar to how Oklahoma City has dominated its season, quietly taking down every team along the way, and on this day, both Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates reaped some very shiny awards.
