OKC Thunder blaze into NBA Finals: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the charge after years in the wilderness
The Oklahoma City Thunder have stormed into the Finals with a commanding display of grit, talent, and belief.
Here, Sports News Blitz's NBA expert Noah Ngcobo breaks down how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his young squad have brought playoff glory back to OKC.
Thunder complete stunning turnaround to reach NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves in a decisive 124-94 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
It was a night to remember at the Paycom Center, where the Thunder’s young core, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, showcased their growth, resilience, and unity.
With the victory, Oklahoma City caps off a remarkable journey from a team that once sat near the bottom of the Western Conference to a championship contender.
Their opponent in the Finals will be either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks, with Game 1 set for June 5.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: From dark days to MVP glory
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the heartbeat of this series. After years of setbacks, he rose to the occasion, delivering a commanding performance with 34 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in the clinching game.
He was named the Western Conference Finals MVP, adding to his NBA MVP award won just a week earlier.
Reflecting on the team’s past struggles, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted, “A couple years I got here, there were some really dark times in this arena.”
“Not fun times, and these stands, fans have been by our side through thick and thin. We appreciate them, first and foremost.”
Those dark times were real. After Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to Oklahoma City in 2019 as part of the Paul George deal, the Thunder fell to 14th place in the West for two consecutive seasons, enduring 50-plus loss years and seemingly endless rebuilding.
The team’s downward spiral began after trading Russell Westbrook just days after the George deal, followed by Chris Paul’s brief stint.
But the rebuild paid off. The 2022 NBA Draft brought in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive explosion - jumping from 24.5 points per game in 2021/22 to 31.4 in 2022/23 - set the tone for a new era.
Thunder’s Game 5 domination: A blueprint for success
In Game 5, the Thunder wasted no time asserting their dominance. They led by 17 after the first quarter and 33 at halftime.
Minnesota struggled to find any rhythm, shooting just 3-for-20 in the opening frame and committing 21 turnovers overall.
Oklahoma City’s suffocating defence which was led by Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Cason Wallace, shutting down the Timberwolves’ offence, holding them to just nine first-quarter points - the second-fewest in the play-by-play era.
Anthony Edwards, who scored 19 points, praised OKC’s teamwork, calling them “15 puppets on one string.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, the mastermind behind the Thunder’s attack, accounted for 24 of the team’s 26 first-quarter points.
Chet Holmgren added 22 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Jalen Williams finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Alex Caruso chipped in with four steals, as the Thunder swarmed Minnesota on every possession.
As Caruso put it, “We beat the sh*t out of everybody in the beginning of the year, for the most part, off energy and vibes.”
“Then through the middle of the season, we started figuring out how we had to execute discipline, details. The last stretch of the season, we put it all together.”
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A family affair and a moment to remember
In the postgame celebration, Gilgeous-Alexander shared a light-hearted moment with his father, Vaughn, who playfully held onto the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy as if it were his own.
“You acting like it’s yours!” Shai joked, as Vaughn smiled and pretended to pocket the award.
Vaughn, who coached both Shai and his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, as kids, expressed pride in his son’s achievements, even as Shai’s Thunder eliminated Nickeil’s Timberwolves.
“These guys are the type of guys that dream big,” Vaughn said, reflecting on how far Shai had come from his early days as a scrawny teenager with big ambitions.
Redemption for Oklahoma City: A new chapter begins
For Sam Presti, Oklahoma City’s general manager, the win was a testament to patience, vision, and perseverance.
Nine years after watching Klay Thompson’s legendary Game 6 performance in 2016 crush the Thunder’s Finals hopes, Presti witnessed his young team rewrite the story.
The Thunder’s journey has been anything but easy.
Yet this group, one of the youngest teams ever to reach the NBA Finals, has shown that with the right mix of talent, leadership, and belief, even a small-market franchise can dream big.
As Gilgeous-Alexander put it, “This isn’t the end of our road.”
For Oklahoma City, it feels like just the beginning.
