Washington (AFP) – Oklahoma City, sparked by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 by routing Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday. Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA Most Valuable Player, added eight assists and seven rebounds as the Thunder captured the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series 4-1 and will host game one of the NBA Finals on June 5.
“This is a step in the right direction but we have a lot more work to do and we know that and that’s what we’re focused on so let’s buckle up and get ready,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to get to our ultimate goal and this is not it. That’s all that I’m focused on.”
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Oklahoma City will face the Eastern Conference champion, either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks, for the NBA title. Gilgeous-Alexander, a 26-year-old Canadian who was named the series MVP, could become the first NBA scoring champion since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win an NBA title in the same season. Chet Holmgren added 22 points and Jalen Williams netted 19 for the Thunder, whose average age of 25.6 years makes them the youngest team in the NBA Finals since Portland in 1977.
“We have 17 dudes on the roster who will bring it every single game whether it’s a closeout game or not,” Holmgren said. “It’s a step in the journey. We still have a season to play (in the Finals) so we’re not done.”
Williams was proud of the way players have melded into a team. “We’ve been through ups and downs this entire season and that has only brought us closer. We’ve been able to bond and get better and that’s why we’re here now,” he said. “We’ve still got a job to do but it’s very exciting.”
Julius Randle led Minnesota with 24 points while Anthony Edwards added 19 for the Timberwolves, who have never reached the NBA Finals. “They came ready to play. We didn’t,” Edwards said. “They dominated the game from the tip.”
Oklahoma City have never won an NBA title, although the franchise won a crown as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 before relocating in 2008, and the Thunder last reached the finals in 2012, losing to Miami. The Thunder had the best record in the NBA this season at 68-14. “These guys are uncommon,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They do everything right. They are professional. They are high character… They are competitive and most of all they are team first.”
– ‘This hurts’ –
From the start, Oklahoma City overpowered Minnesota in epic fashion, as the visitors suffered a nightmare performance when it mattered most. “We kept our foot on the gas for 48 minutes,” Daigneault said. “The tone we set in the game was really good from the jump.”
“We were beat by the better team,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “This hurts.”
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Thunder grabbed a 26-9 lead, holding the Timberwolves to their lowest points total in any quarter all season. “They came out and punched us,” Minnesota’s Mike Conley said. Minnesota shot 3-for-20 in the first quarter, 1-of-9 from three-point range, and lost four turnovers. Minnesota missed 10 of their first 11 shots as Oklahoma City jumped ahead 11-3 then closed the quarter on a 13-2 run.
The Thunder rolled to a 48-20 advantage early in the second quarter on the way to a 65-32 half-time lead, as Minnesota surrendered a season-high 14 first-half turnovers while making only 12 baskets. The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 37 points before reducing the deficit to 88-62 after three quarters, but never looked like overcoming the Thunder’s dominant performance.
“It hurts,” Conley said. “For me it’s going to take a while to dissect what we weren’t able to do.”
© 2024 AFP
