The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying one of the best seasons in the history of the organization.
While it may seem like Thunder won in a landslide looking at the final score, it was anything but that in the first half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first half from the field, but erupted in the second half, scoring 20 of his 31 points when the Thunder needed him most.
Bill Simmons sends Shai Gilgeous-Alexander message
As a result, the Thunder are just three wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.
They'll have Wednesday off before returning for Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But between games, Shams Charania reported that Gilgeous-Alexander is officially the league's Most Valuable Player.
While it's easy to look at Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring numbers and be enthralled with that you see, some, like The Ringer's Bill Simmons, aren't impressed with one particular area of his game.
"I feel like Shai is getting this whistle that nobody in the playoffs is getting," Simmons said following the Thunder's Game 1 win. "Where these little touch fouls or these bumps where you're not even sure who initiated the bumps and he's just getting it."
It's a possibility that Simmons is just still hurt after watching New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson get similar calls in his team's series win over the Celtics.
However, it would be far from shocking to see the whistle not go Gilgeous-Alexander's way as often going forward. Whether that's in Game 2 or when the series shifts to Minnesota remains to be seen.
As Zach Lowe mentions in the video, he would be far from surprised if the Timberwolves sent certain clips to the league office.