Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had two of the league’s most prestigious trophies in his possession by the time the Thunder reached the NBA Finals, but he kept them out of sight so they wouldn’t distract from the ultimate goal, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The award he got for being named Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference Finals stayed hidden in the back of his locker until the playoffs ended, while his regular season MVP trophy was in an even more remote spot.
“In its case, in the basement,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “All the joy and everything that comes with that would’ve been put on hold had we not won the championship, so that’d be my main goal. I had to put the fun aside for a bit, and then at the end, it was a little bit sweeter.”
SGA and his team appear to be on the way to collecting more hardware next spring and possibly for years to come. They’re off to an 11-1 start without their best lineup together, as All-Star wing Jalen Williams is still recovering from wrist surgery and other players have been in and out of the lineup during the first three weeks of the season.
As MacMahon explains, they’ve been able to keep winning due to a sense of professionalism and a commitment to hard work that permeate the organization, with Gilgeous-Alexander at the center of it.
“He still looks like he wants to make the team. That’s just his approach,” Luguentz Dort said. “That’s how he competes. He’s always been like that. The fact that he’s the leader of our team and still approaching it that way in Year 8 now, it just sets the tone for the rest of us. It’s like, man, we got to match that energy.”
There’s more from Oklahoma City:
- While the Thunder are favored to repeat as champions this season, ownership may have to be willing to spend into the second apron to build a dynasty capable of winning several titles, MacMahon adds. The first test will come next offseason when decisions have to be made on team options for Dort ($18.2MM) and Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5MM). “There’s certain (times) where you think, ‘I could never imagine being somewhere else,’ but for me, it’s right now,” Hartenstein said. “How can I be focused on the present moment? Then I think everything will figure itself out when it’s done. And I think with the second apron, winning always helps. So, if we just keep winning, I think we can keep the team together.”
- In an interview with Mark Medina of Athlon Sports, Gilgeous-Alexander said head coach Mark Daigneault deserves more credit for his role in making the team successful. “The biggest thing is Coach does a really good job of setting the tone,” he said. “The group is a certain way, obviously, and the characters in the room. But Coach does a really good job of holding every guy in the room, including myself, to the highest standard and not letting it slip, no matter what.”
- Daigneault tells Sam Amick of The Athletic that the Thunder adjusted their normal offseason schedule to give players more time to savor the accomplishment of winning a title. “Normally guys are coming into Oklahoma City in early September, and we pushed that back — for the guys that played a lot,” he said. “So we tried to extend the summer as much as we could, and not feel this insecurity to turn the page too fast, so that they could fully enjoy and decompress from last season. And then we just tried to present it as an end point. Last season ended. This season starts. That was the 2025 championship. No one’s taking it away from us. It’s ours for the rest of our lives, but it’s also over.”
What happened to all the Warriors fans ?????
I hear in SF when there are Thunder Storms. Warriors hide in their closets till its over ?????
Hello … heloo… helloooo …mmmmm must be true.
Thunder are gone lols ……. you can come out now.
Magic spanked the Knicks tonight. It happens
Thunder look like best team. I don’t see them repeating. Nuggets can beat them in the West. Especially in the playoffs. The Rockets get a PG they can beat them in playoffs. A big team that can rebound and defend. Can play with the Thunder. I believe that. With Sorber out. They only have IHart.
Warriors refuse to sign a rim protector. It will haunt them all year. You may only need one 16-20 mins a game. Or in the playoffs for matchups. But you will need one. The rim protector can anchor your D. Thats the most important thing a player can don on defense. Its like your leading scorer on offense. 2Way sport. Not about playing great D. Its about making stops.
Umm… Al, the Thunder literally won it all last year without Sorber. He probably wouldn’t even crack the regular rotation being a rookie and all. They have plenty of depth at center. They’ve got this dude named Chet Holmgren — maybe you’ve heard of him? He’s 6’11” with a 7’6″ wingspan and a 27-inch vertical. Kinda good at protecting the rim. Oh, and Jaylin Williams? Only 6’8″, but at 250 pounds he’s more than big enough to bang down low
They are the team to beat. I saw them last year have trouble with good bigs. Like Jokic, old Embiid, Wemby, Rockets trio, Towns. I think thats key to beating them. Repeating is hard. Just a gut feeling..
IHart is only big. Chet is not ready to deal with real bigs on D. You power them inside. You can beat them. Thunder beat you with depth. They don’t have depth at bigs.
The only big they really struggled with last season was Jokić, but then again, everyone struggles with Jokić. He’s a three-time MVP and two-time runner-up for a reason. Chet’s a legitimate big man now at 213 pounds, not a heavyweight, but strong enough to hold his own without losing mobility. Hell, they went 4–2 with Jalen Williams starting at center, and he’s only 6’6″, 220 pounds. Sure, repeating is tough, but if any team can do it, it’s the Thunder.
They couldn’t handle Towns even though they won. Knicks had no depth last year. I stand by wgat I said.
OneWay Wonder met the MVP last night. Thunder are not even healthy yet. Had no problem beating Lakers by 30. MVP – 29 mins, 30 pts …..
Luka — 32 mins, 19 pts