Latest news with #Thunder
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nick Wright's ‘all-time' take will catch Thunder's fans' attention
The post Nick Wright's 'all-time' take will catch Thunder's fans' attention appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading to the NBA Finals after having one of the best teams in the league this year. Throughout the season, the Thunder showed that they were dominant on both sides of the ball, and their net rating was the best in the league. Also, they had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the team, who won MVP for what he was able to accomplish. Advertisement With all of this, Nick Wright shared a take where he thinks the Thunder had a great single season, but won't put them on the pedestal as an all-time team. 'They are four wins away from one of the single greatest seasons in NBA history… I am okay with saying this is an all-time single season, I am not okay with saying this is an all-time team,' Wright said. 'Because what the other all-time teams had was multiple finals appearances, multiple championships, and the teams kind of bleed together.' The Thunder are the fourth team to enter the Finals with 80 wins, and they beat teams all season by an average of 13 points, which Wright gave them credit for. There are still some things that he isn't quite sold on, and it was their path to get to the Finals, and if Gilgeous-Alexander should be considered an all-time player. Advertisement In Wright's case, in order for them to be considered an all-time team, they need to keep winning for years to come. Can the Thunder become an all-time team? The Thunder have the pieces in place to be a team that could be dangerous for years to come. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are still on their rookie deals, and that bodes well for them from a cap space perspective, because they could possibly go out and get some more talent if they wanted to. As currently constructed, this team hasn't hit its prime yet, and they could be at the top of the Western Conference for years to come. Gilgeous-Alexander is still young and has already won MVP, and it could be more coming his way if he continues to get better. This core group has the chance to do something special while they're still young, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they ended up being the next dynasty in the league in the next few years. They'll have to keep winning at a high level, and they have the talent to do so.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Thunder thrash Wolves in Game 5, storm into NBA Finals
Even before the basket went in, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spread his arms wide to his side in celebration. Cason Wallace left his right arm high in the air, just waiting for the ball to drop through the basket. Soon enough, inevitably, it did. Wallace's corner 3-pointer at the buzzer was the exclamation point on a dominant first quarter for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who rode the hot start to a 124-94 home win that ended the Western Conference finals in Game 5 on Wednesday. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Thunder closed out the best-of-seven series. "I didn't want to go back to Minnesota travel-wise and I wanted the fans to enjoy the moment with us," Gilgeous-Alexander said. The Thunder are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time in franchise history. The first three appearances came when the club was based in Seattle. Oklahoma City will host Game 1 of the Finals against either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks on June 5. "Happy for this moment, but this isn't our goal," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "This isn't the end of our road." The Wednesday outcome was evident early, as the Thunder buried the Timberwolves under the weight of a stifling defense and playmaking by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Oklahoma City put the game away quickly, leading by 17 after the first quarter and 33 at halftime. The Timberwolves saw their season end in the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year. "I'm going to work my butt off this summer," Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said. "Nobody's going to work harder than me this summer, I'll tell you that much." Gilgeous-Alexander dished out five of his assists in the opening quarter as he again showed why he was selected the NBA's Most Valuable Player. After the Timberwolves scored the game's first hoop, Gilgeous-Alexander had a hand in all five Oklahoma City baskets during an 11-0 run that started the Thunder's march toward the blowout. In that stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander had four assists -- three on Holmgren buckets -- and drained a finger roll to start the separation. On Monday, the Timberwolves started Game 4 red hot from the field but ultimately fell 128-126. On Wednesday, Minnesota struggled on offense from the start, going just 1-for-11 from the field over the first five minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander outscored Minnesota in the first quarter 12-9 and scored or assisted on 24 of the Thunder's 26 first-quarter points. Minnesota had more turnovers in the first half (14) than it did field goals (12). The Timberwolves finished with 21 turnovers. Holmgren amassed 22 points and seven rebounds while Williams had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. "These guys really make me feel like I'm a kid playing AAU basketball, like I'm 15 years old again," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's just fun. That's what makes us really good. We have so much fun being out there together." Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 24 points while Edwards scored 19 on 7-of-18 shooting. "They dominated the game from the tip," Edwards said. "Can't do nothing but tip my hat to those guys. They came ready." --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"Work My Butt Off This Summer": Anthony Edwards Reacts To Embarrassing Game 5 Loss Against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
"Work My Butt Off This Summer": Anthony Edwards Reacts To Embarrassing Game 5 Loss Against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The OKC Thunder have proceeded to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after a resounding win over the Timberwolves. In Game 5, they won 124-94 to send the Timberwolves packing on vacation. Anthony Edwards, the star player for the Timberwolves, struggled once again to produce offensively to the level of his own standard. He finished the game with 19 points, shooting 7 of 18 from the floor and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc. After the game, Edwards spoke to the media about the loss. Advertisement "They came ready to play, and we didn't. When you lose a game like this, there's not really too much to break down. They did what they were supposed to do and won the game... They dominated the game from the tip, and I can do nothing but tip my hat to those guys; they came ready, man, good job by them." When asked how he's feeling about the game, he admitted being hurt for his veteran teammate, Mike Conley, more than for himself. "I'm hurt, more so for myself, for Mike. I came up short for Mike. Like I said, we tried last year, we couldn't get it. We tried again this year, we'll try again next year. But hurt is a temporary word to use, I'm good." Upon further questioning about Mike Conley, Edwards even promised to work harder in the upcoming summer to help Conley win his first championship. Advertisement "I'mma work my butt off this summer. Nobody's gonna work harder than me this summer, I can tell you that much. I'll try to make it happen again for Mike." Anthony Edwards' offensive skill set seemed to be no match for the defensive prowess of the Thunder. This has given Anthony Edwards a chip on his shoulder to work on in the summer. Analyzing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Anthony Edwards' Performance In This Series Before the series began, we did a comprehensive analysis of Anthony Edwards compared to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Playoffs. Gilegous-Alexander, who averaged 8.8 free throw attempts per game in the regular season, averaged 8.8 makes in 10.2 attempts per game in this series. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds in five games in the series. Without the free throws, he would average 24.6 points per game in this series (44 free throws made in 167 points scored over five games). Advertisement Edwards, on the other hand, has averaged 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the five games played. Without the free throws, he would average 18.6 points per game (22 free throws made in 115 points scored over five games). Gilgeous-Alexander still had a better performance in this series and thus thoroughly deserved the unanimous win for the West Finals MVP award. Related: Isiah Thomas Says Thunder Are Treating Anthony Edwards Like 'The Bad Boy' Pistons Treated Michael Jordan This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins first NBA MVP award
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard who led his team to the NBA's best record, was named the league's most valuable player during Wednesday's "NBA on TNT Pregame Show." Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, is the third Thunder player to win the MVP. Kevin Durant took home the honors in 2014 and Russell Westbrook won it in 2017. Advertisement It's the seventh consecutive season a foreign-born player has won the award, as Gilgeous-Alexander is a native of Canada. ANALYSIS: Why Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should win NBA MVP OPINION: Slow start doesn't shake Shai: Thunder star struts MVP moxie in Game 1 ESPN first reported the news. Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder won 68 regular-season games, including going 29-1 against the Eastern Conference, winning games by an average of 12.9 points per game and outscoring their opponents by 1,055 points. Gilgeous-Alexander also won his first scoring title, averaging 32.1 points per game, including a streak where he scored 20 or more points in 72 consecutive games. He also averaged five rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists, and his value was not only on the offensive end but defensively as well, as Oklahoma City was first in defensive rating and third in offensive rating. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander finished ahead of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who won the award last season. Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, finishing in the top three in each category, while leading the league in performance efficiency rating. Jokic recorded an NBA-high 34 triple-doubles this season and is the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, joining Oscar Robertson and Westbrook. Gilgeous-Alexander received 71 first-place votes (worth 10 points) and 29 second-place votes (worth seven points) to win the award with 913 points. Jokic received the other 29 first-place votes and 71 second-place votes to finish with 787 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished in third (470 points), marking the seventh consecutive year he's finished in the top four. Jayson Tatum placed fourth (311 points) and Donovan Mitchell rounded out the top five (74 points). A two-time first-team All-NBA performer, Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible to sign a four-year, $293 million supermax extension this summer. He made $35.8 million this year, and is scheduled to take home $38.3 million and $40.8 million in the final two years of his current contract, which he signed in 2021. NBA MVP voting Check out the full voting totals below: Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP See the moment Gilgeous-Alexander was officially named the 2024-25 NBA MVP, and what he said: Editor's note: The NBA MVP award is voted on by 100 members of the media, chosen by the league. Voting takes place before the postseason. USA TODAY Sports reporter Jeff Zillgitt has a vote. Advertisement The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. (This story has been updated with new information). This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder guard, wins NBA MVP
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes sentimental on son watching him win WCF MVP
The post Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes sentimental on son watching him win WCF MVP appeared first on ClutchPoints. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has got to be one of the happiest people on the planet. His and the Oklahoma City Thunder's job may not be finished, as they are still locked in on their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship, which they are ever so close to after a 124-94 beatdown of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the closeout Game 5, but he has a lot of reasons to be joyful. Advertisement Not only was he named the MVP of the league this past season and the MVP of the recently-concluded Western Conference Finals, he also has a loving family — with his lovely wife and son being in attendance for Game 5. Being a father has changed Gilgeous-Alexander's life for the better, and he now knows what matters the most to him in life, which then puts basketball and every goal of his and the Thunder's in the right perspective. 'I think the best thing about that moment is that he has no clue what's going on and that he's just happy to see me. In life in general, you get caught up in so many things that don't actually matter. That's the biggest thing with having my son in the past year. He's put on the forefront. He's shown me everything that actually matters in life,' Gilgeous-Alexander said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter). Gilgeous-Alexander has become a lightning rod for criticism in recent years for being a 'free-throw merchant'. Regardless, the Thunder star is unfazed because every day of his life, he recognizes what actually matters to him — his family. Advertisement '[My son] reminds me of that every day I wake up, every day he wakes me up. Every day he cries and wakes me in the middle of my sleep. He's amazing. He'll see this one day, I guess. He puts everything into perspective for sure,' Gilgeous-Alexander added. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder benefit from the 'dad buff' © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten better with age, and over the past year or so, he's been playing his best basketball. Seeing his son, Ares, be born may have something to do with that. Gilgeous-Alexander's son was born on April 25, 2024, and since that time, he's averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in 100 games on 51/37/88 shooting splits. Having a child and loving someone in a way that's so pure and genuine has brought out the best in the Thunder star, and now, he is on the cusp of another life milestone, as they need to win just four more games to be crowned as the NBA champion.
