SUMMARY
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a win over the Mavericks, making them the youngest team to win a game in the second round.
- The MVP candidate couldn't not stop himself from expressing emotions on being a father.
Out of all the teams left in the playoffs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder seem to have the best odds to win the title coming out of the Western Conference. SGA, a solid MVP candidate led OKC to a Game 1 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in the conference semifinals. After the game, the 25-year-old Canadian basketball star spoke about his newborn son, Ares.
He said, “Yeah, it feels a lot better [going back home to his child after a game]. You have something so exciting outside of basketball. Add another member to the family, obviously, it’s the best thing in the world.” His wife, Hailey Summers gave birth to Ares during OKC’s first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans. SGA and his squad have gone 2-0 in the playoffs since then.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cannot do it without his teammates working together
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an outstanding game finishing with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists along with 2 blocks and a steal. The defensive efforts of OKC have been extremely successful. Luguentz Dort limited Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to 20 points and 19 points respectively. In terms of scoring this was Luka’s worst game yet in the playoffs. He only shot 6-19 from the field and 1-8 from deep.
🚨Chet Holmgren ALLEY OOP DUNK from Josh Giddey pic.twitter.com/O0tiFDRcpz
— bobo (@ohitsbobo) May 8, 2024
SGA did not fail to give credit where credit is due as he said, “We have really good individual defenders, a really good rim protector, and then we do it together. We do it together on both ends of the floor. Defensively, we just try to play together, play on a string, and make it tough for their main guys.” Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals during the game. OKC has been prioritising defense a lot more during the playoffs which has helped them achieve great things.
OKC becomes the youngest team to win a second-round game
Ahead of the second-round series, the Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving recognized that OKC is one of the youngest teams left in the playoffs. And as he said, it will be up to him to help lead the Mavericks with his veteran experience. OKC’s average age is 25, making them the second youngest team in the league behind the San Antonio Spurs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with an INSANE finish against the Mavs.
Lead 88-73
— SPERTS on SOL (@SpertsOnSOL) May 8, 2024
The Thunder became the youngest team to win a game in the conference semifinals. But clearly, they pose a much bigger threat to the Mavericks especially since SGA is capable of scoring 30 points consistently. Unlike the Thunder, the Mavericks heavily rely on Luka and Kyrie to carry them. OKC has always been a well-rounded team that focuses on involving every player which helps bring out maximum output.