OKC Thunder's Elimination Game Provides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a Signature Moment

Oklahoma City’s series against Denver has already been one for the ages. From upset victories, to late game comebacks, buzzer beaters and so much more, this series has delivered on every level. Both superstars have iconic performances, and a few role players have turned heroic. But it all boils down to Sunday afternoon — it’s all that matters now.

There’s one game left to decide whose title hopes will remain intact. And for better or for worse, if Oklahoma City’s season comes to an early close, it could be looked at as one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory considering how historically good this Thunder team is. Playoff runs aren’t guaranteed, and the field is wide open for Oklahoma City — it would be devastating to fall in the second round once again. 

It’s certainly a responsibility to share between the entire team. But during an MVP duel, with all the surrounding storylines and narratives, the main responsibility falls on the shoulders of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander has all but won the MVP, pending an announcement, but will now face the biggest stage of his entire career. His first trip to the conference finals is on the line, and the person across from him was his only competition for MVP. Nikola Jokic has had arguably the greatest statistical season of all time, and the pair will battle it out one final time — settling things on the court.

Obviously, Gilgeous-Alexander has had another strong playoff showing. In 10 playoff games, he’s averaging 28.4 points, 6.6 assists, and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 46.4% from the floor. He has had a handful of elite games, including Thursday night’s 32-point outing on 11-of-16 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t had a scoring outbreak like the regular season, though — where he led the NBA in both 40-point games and 50-point games. He hit 38 points in Game 4 against Memphis, and has eclipsed 30 points in four out of six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, but everything has hovered around his average. That leaves the door wide open for a legacy Game 7 performance on Sunday afternoon.

For all intents and purposes, this is Gilgeous-Alexander’s second real playoff run. He has plenty of tremendous moments already, but a masterclass Game 7 performance against a former MVP and his former championship team would easily take the cake. A 40-points explosion could cement Gilgeous-Alexander in Thunder playoff lore.

Jokic has given us his fair share of improbable heroics. Both teams are following in the footsteps of their titans. The stage is set for Gilgeous-Alexander to earn his MVP trophy and lead Oklahoma City to its first Western Conference Finals appearance in nearly a decade.