With the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award already in tow, and a pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on the docket, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t overreact to the importance of it all.
A Game 3 in which he looked like anything but an MVP could have turned into a significant speed bump for him and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, on Sunday, the day after SGA and his teammates suffered their worst loss of the year, there was a continuation of normalcy. The film session was calm, if not pointed. Owning a performance in which the Minnesota Timberwolves beat OKC by 40 points proved easy for Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder roster.
SGA understood that a better performance on Monday night didn’t mean forcing the action or forcing shots. It meant going through a regular routine. It meant being meticulous in preparation for what proved to be a 128-126 series-turning win over the Timberwolves at Target Center. It meant staying calm amid chaos and doing the things that got him that MVP trophy in the first place.
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Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are growing into a great playoff team
