Latest news with #WCFMVP
Yahoo
2 days 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.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adds to Timberwolves woes with MVP 2-way play
The post Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adds to Timberwolves woes with MVP 2-way play appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Oklahoma City Thunder are officially four wins away from winning the NBA championship after handily taking care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after having some efficiency troubles in the previous series against the Denver Nuggets, has made mincemeat of the Timberwolves' defense, scoring 34 points on 14-25 shooting in the closeout game, deservedly winning WCF MVP honors in the process. Advertisement But Gilgeous-Alexander isn't just an unstoppable offensive force. He is also an instrumental part of the Thunder's elite defense that forces turnovers at a historically great rate. And towards the end of the Thunder's Game 5 beatdown of the Timberwolves, the 2025 NBA MVP showed that he's one of the best two-way players in the game by breaking up a one-two play from cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Anthony Edwards, converting the steal into an emphatic jam in transition. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the WCF averaging 1.8 steals per contest, proving how disruptive he is as well on the defensive end. He has long shown excellent instinct on that end of the floor, and it's him being a stout presence defensively that made him quite the no-brainer pick for MVP in the end even if Nikola Jokic had the better statistical season by far. It must be very validating for Gilgeous-Alexander to see all his work result in all of this success for the Thunder. Oklahoma City's growth as a team has mirrored that of his personal development as a player. The Thunder front office's faith in him, that he could be the best player on a championship team, is paying off, and now, they are closer than ever to a championship — awaiting the winner of the barnburner Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in what is shaping up to be an exciting NBA Finals series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder show how a rebuild is done Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images When the Thunder officially blew it up in 2020, many expected a painful rebuilding process to ensue. Little did everyone know that they would already have a future MVP on the roster in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander instead of needing to develop one via the NBA Draft. Since then, they have hit on nearly every move — drafting Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in 2022 were major triumphs, Cason Wallace was an excellent lottery pick, and even Josh Giddey, their 2021 lottery pick, was turned into Alex Caruso. Of course, Luguentz Dort was also a bonafide win for the Thunder development team; turning an undrafted player into one of the most important 3-and-D cogs in the league was quite the major victory. Now, it looks like the Thunder have all the pieces needed to complete the championship puzzle.
Fox Sports
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 NBA playoff odds: Tatum, SGA favored to win conference finals MVP awards
The official NBA playoffs tip off on April 19. For now, bettors are diving into the odds for which team will win it all, which squads will face off in conference finals and more. Speaking of conference finals, there's another market that might pique fans' interest and that's conference finals MVP. While we're still weeks away from the matchups being set in each conference, it's never too early to find a couple of players to back in this spot. Let's take a look at the odds as of April 16 at DraftKings Sportsbook. 2025 Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jayson Tatum, Celtics: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total) Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total) Kristaps Porziņģis, Celtics: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total) Jaylen Brown, Celtics: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total) Jalen Brunson, Knicks: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total) Evan Mobley, Cavaliers: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total) Darius Garland, Cavaliers: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total) Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total) 2025 Western Conference Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total) Stephen Curry, Warriors: +950 (bet $10 to win $105 total) Luka Dončić, Lakers: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total) LeBron James, Lakers: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total) Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total) Jalen Williams, Thunder: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total) Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total) Last year, Jaylen Brown edged out Jayson Tatum for Eastern Conference Finals MVP. It actually resulted in a bad beat for bettors who had backed the favorite Tatum, as Brown's odds shifted during the final game of Boston's series against the Pacers. In the Western Conference, Luka Dončić earned WCF MVP honors in 2024, as he led his Mavericks to a 4-1 series victory over Minnesota. In that series, Dončić averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. The Eastern Conference (Larry Bird Trophy) and Western Conference (Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy) finals MVP awards have been in existence since 2022. In the East, Tatum won it in 2022, Jimmy Butler won in 2023, and as mentioned, Brown won last year. Out West, Steph Curry won in 2022, Nikola Jokić won in 2023, and Dončić last season. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
