The Thunder handle business at home to earn their 1st trip to the NBA Finals since 2012.
OKLAHOMA CITY — There was an aggressive double-team on the ball, a steal and a dunk. Then a blocked shot turned into a pair of passes and a jumper in transition. And this was before the energy was elevated — more defense, more shots made followed.
This was the sign of a desperate team. And that was certainly the flavor … for the 68-win, top-seeded, up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals Oklahoma City Thunder.
They were eager to move on and check off yet another finished goal in a season of dominance. Which they did Wednesday, ever so smashingly.
This was no contest. This was the better team at full force, ambushing the Wolves and sending no doubt while clinching the West with a comprehensive 124-94 victory in Game 5. Oklahoma City is headed to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history (and the first time since 2012). Based on what the Thunder have shown since opening night back in October … is anyone surprised?
Not really. Until further notice — and there’s not much further left in the season — Oklahoma City is the best team standing, and might be the last if this keeps up.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again was brilliant in victory and saved enough energy to lift the series’ Most Valuable Player trophy. He had all the help he needed: Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and assorted others.
“We had it all going — defensive pressure, defensive help, responding offensively to what they were trying to do to us,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “The focus through the distraction of a close-out game to go to the Finals, they were laser-focused. The mental toughness was great. Obviously up 3-1, there’s a tendency to drift ahead, but that wasn’t the case. We played next possession.”
And now, there’s a next game. It tips June 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in OKC against the winner of the Indiana-New York Eastern Conference series.
Here are five takeaways from OKC’s forceful elimination of the Wolves, the five-game series it conquered and a peek at what’s ahead.
1. OKC bringing another young big 3
The last time the Thunder reached the NBA Finals, the core names were on the fast track to becoming household: Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook. James Harden. Those players had four years or less of NBA experience and yet were ahead of schedule.
After a rebuild, the identities have changed. It’s now Shai, Chet, J-Dub, already on a first-name or nickname basis with the basketball world, and just like 13 years ago, pushing the age and experience probability from a championship perspective.
This trio is eager to cash in and do what the other three didn’t and the odds are in their favor. Their chemistry is intact, one is a league MVP (Durant, Westbrook and Harden were years away from their MVPs) and they’ll be the favorite against the Pacers or Knicks regardless of who escapes the East.
The OKC 3 stepped forward and all over the Wolves. Holmgren brought rim protection, helped put the lock on Julius Randle and stretched the floor. Williams filled the co-pilot role perfectly and dominated during stretches. As for Gilgeous-Alexander, he wasn’t up to his efficient standards overall, but that level is steep, and he still outplayed Anthony Edwards, which is all that mattered.
“We’ve been able to grow from the experience,” Williams said.
The core of this team is strong, capable of making plays at both ends and complementing each other well. This Big 3 is 3-D, as in dimension. And dominant. It’s premature to suggest they’re just getting started — look what happened to their predecessors in 2012 and beyond — but in the next round Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams might be too much. Make that three much.
“This isn’t our goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have one more round, and we just need to keep getting better.”
Comparing Oklahoma City’s two star-driven Finals teams, separated by 13 years.
2. Shai’s season Shai-ping up as epic
Leader of a 68-win team? Check. All-Star? Yet again. Scoring champ? Yep. First-Team All-NBA? Secured. NBA MVP? Uh-huh. And now, the MVP of the Western Conference Finals and a trip to the NBA Finals.
It’s all falling in place for Gilgeous-Alexander, now nearing the finish line of what could become a dream season. From an individual and team standpoint, it’s hard to match what he’s building — and yes, depending on whether he closes strong. Pump the brakes on best-season-ever conversations until then.
In this closeout he had 34 points and his fingerprints all over OKC’s first five baskets. “Setting the tone,” Daigneault said. This was the second time Gilgeous-Alexander rose to such an occasion, as he had 35 points in Game 7 against the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
“He understood his role in our mentality,” Daigneault said. “He was ready to play from the jump.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance in the regular season and so far in the playoffs is placing him near rare company. Already, he’s the first MVP to reach the NBA Finals in the same season since Stephen Curry in 2015-16.
When he accepted the Western Finals MVP, he raised the trophy briefly, then tried to give it to a teammate, any teammate. Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to share the wealth. And he also wants a few more trophies that are up for grabs after the next round.
If he gets them — the Finals trophy and the Finals MVP — he might hold onto them a few seconds longer.
3. Another education for Edwards
Two straight trips to the conference finals aren’t easily or commonly done by players his age. So there’s that. At 23, Edwards did not fail in this regard. But he was humbled, and maybe, in the short term, that’s best.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Dončić, the young stars who conquered him the last two years in the conference finals, are therefore a level up. And that realization must, or rather should, sucker punch Edwards right where it hurts: his ego.
He has a healthy belief in being among the best and his talent certainly validates that. Edwards has the tools, he can finish with either hand and is now a volume 3-point shooter with good efficiency. Plus, he wants badly to be the best in the game.
He’s not there yet. The best are forceful every night. Which isn’t to suggest they’re great every night, but at least accountable and always dangerous. Edwards had invisible stretches in this series and while OKC’s defense against him was genius, both can be true.
He should learn from these conference finals defeats and become a hungrier player. If the Wolves get him help and his taste turns bloodthirsty, he’ll take that next step, and it won’t be on a banana peel next time.
4. What to do with Randle, Alexander-Walker & Reid?
This will be a busy and important summer for the Wolves. First up: The ownership change becomes official, with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez taking control. Their initial decisions, channeled through general manager Tim Connelly, could dictate the direction of this team, and all involve free agents: Randle (player option), Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Bringing back all three could put the Wolves in a financial bind, inviting the dreaded second apron and the substantial tax hit and roster restrictions that come with it.
The key is Randle. He was good through much of the playoffs, though his faults (over-dribbling, turnovers) eventually rose to the surface. The Wolves obtained him in last summer’s Karl-Anthony Towns trade; if he gets away, they’d have little to show for that trade.
If they keep Reid, then, along with Rudy Gobert, they’ll pay a hefty amount to two centers. Alexander-Walker’s contract could thrust them well into the tax and therefore will weigh twice as hefty.
The Wolves can learn what it needs to build an NBA Finals-level team after its loss to OKC.
5. Defense delivers once again for OKC
This statement must be repeated, because the trend keeps repeating itself: OKC’s best weapon is its ability to disarm the other team’s weapons. This game was finished in the first quarter when the Wolves managed three baskets and four turnovers. That’s when victory was D-livered.
Daigneault said the defense in the first half was the best this team could play. Minnesota had nine points in that quarter — in an elimination game.
This team was constructed with that in mind, with players who save energy for that end of the floor, with an infectious approach to stopping the ball or, even better, stripping it away. The best way to describe what OKC did to the Wolves in Game 5, and really all but one game in this series, is to say it was a chore for Minnesota to execute the simple things, such as dribble and shoot and pass.
It seemed like … work. Meanwhile, from OKC’s standpoint, open shots were minimized, rotations were quick, dribbles were challenged and baskets weren’t surrendered easily.
“We dictated how we wanted to attack the game, how we wanted to attack the ball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
What was especially demoralizing for the Wolves: When they did have open looks, they didn’t always make the shot. Those were opportunities lost, and they were costly.
If it’s true that defense wins championships, OKC is bringing the right ingredient to the NBA Finals, where championships are won.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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