Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - NBA Playoffs - Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder
Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the Western Conference Finals as sizable underdogs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. To an extent, that’s understandable. They did win 68 of their 82 regular season games and they do have assumed league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on their team.
And game one played out just as the sportsbooks expected, only worse. A 114-88 blowout Thunder win. While the Wolves did themselves no favors, shooting (15-of-51 from deep) and turning the ball over 19 times (leading to 31 points OKC points off turnovers), it was Shai’s close-knit relationship with NBA referees that stole the show, postgame.
Minnesota Timberwolves fighting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander + NBA referees
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Commonly known as “The Free Throw Merchant”, Gilgeous-Alexander drew so many ridiculous referee whistles Tuesday night that it often felt like they were shooting a 2000s Juelz Santana music video. In the second half, when the Minnesota Timberwolves went ice-cold from deep, it was time for the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Show, starring Shai and the Refs.
A little flop here, a trip there and well-timed flail of here… the MVP went 11-of-14 from the free throw line. The Wolves went 15-of-21 as a team. No other player on either team shot more than seven free throws in game one.
And it isn’t just locally that Shai’s flop whistles are garnering attention. Nationally, many pundits around the league saw what Minnesota Timberwolves fans did. The whistle SGA gets is unlike anything ever really seen before and it’s something that can, in and of itself, shift an entire playoff series. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons talked about just that, after game one.
“I feel like Shai is getting this whistle that nobody else in the playoffs is getting.”@BillSimmons and @ZachLowe_NBA react to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. pic.twitter.com/DScRLtHmew
— The Ringer (@ringer) May 21, 2025
“I feel like Shai is getting this whistle that nobody else in the playoffs is getting. Where there’s these little touch fouls, or these bumps where you’re not even sure who initiated the bumps and he’s just getting it. If you’re Minnesota, the one thing you’re going to come out of the game is we have to get a better whistle on these SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) calls.”
Bill Simmons – The Ringer
None of this is to say that SGA isn’t a great player. You don’t score a league-leading 32.7 points per game by accident. But what would he be without the foul calls he piles up game in and game out, that even other NBA superstars (cough Anthony Edwards) do not? He certainly wouldn’t be averaging over 30 points per game, that’s for sure.
Related: Anthony Edwards Unphased by Timberwolves Loss; Shocked by Postgame Box Score
At 7.9 made free throws per game, there isn’t another player in the league who makes more freebies than SGA, the second-straight season that’s been the case. Attacking the rim, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does so well, will naturally lead to free throws. But other guards attack the rim too, and they don’t get these calls.
SMOOTH AND-1 FROM SHAI ⚡ pic.twitter.com/W0j20WFaUp
— ESPN (@espn) May 21, 2025
At no point to Jaden initiate contact here. pic.twitter.com/RuYtWOHVmo
— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 21, 2025
Chris Fincha and the Minnesota Timberwolves knew that Shai’s quick whistle was going to play a part in this series. What they cannot do, is let it affect the ultimate outcome. It’s also up to the referees. They need to watch the tape, too. Because, while SGA & Co. made the Wolves look bad in game one, no doubt the referees look just as bad.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, during his postgame takeaways, noted how effective Shai’s flopping was in game one, and talked for a bit about how big of an issue it is for the NBA. SGA has made foul-baiting such a major part of his game that he has referees eating out of his hand.
“That is the problem here. It’s not that Gilgeous-Alexander is foul-baiting, but that it’s working. The burden here is on the league to both enforce its existing rules properly and to change broken rules that players learn how to exploit. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday was a reminder to the league to do both, because, despite Oklahoma City’s incredible defensive performance, all anyone is talking about is what the presumptive MVP managed to get away with.”
Sam Quinn – CBS Sports
It’s so bad that games involving the OKC Thunder often turn into unwatchable, slow-moving slop fests that drag out and make playoff basketball unsatisfying to watch. Here, we are used to seeing Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards get completely mugged and receive no help from NBA referees.
Mentioned in this article: Oklahoma City Thunder Referees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Western Conference Finals More About:Minnesota Timberwolves