Tip-off: 7:30pm @ Paycom Center, Oklahoma City | Broadcast: ESPN
⚡MVP bump?
The Thunder have home court advantage, plus, considering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's feel-good acceptance of the MVP trophy last night. Surrounded by teammates and praising the coaching staff along with his family and friends, SGA looked ready to channel all the positive vibes onto the court for more "winning", as he reiterated in his speech.
[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the 2025 NBA MVP
“I don’t care to be scrutinized. I don’t care to be praised.” - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on kinda sorta becoming the face of the league Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been officially announced as the league’s Most Valuable Player for the 20254-25 NBA season. He was quite simply the best player on the
](https://www.dailythunder.com/shai-gilgeous-alexander-is-the-2025-nba-mvp/)
⚡Conference Finals Bolts
Shai bought some insane thank you gifts for his teammates.
Lu Dort made the NBA's All-Defense First team, and Jalen Williams made the Second team.
Per Statitudes, the Thunder are the first team in NBA history to record a 25-point win in Game 7 of one series followed up by a 25-point win in Game 1 of the following series.
Ethan Strauss on the sudden deluge of OKC hate:
If the Thunder are disliked, beyond the online realm, I believe there’s a generational component to it. The well known millennial superstars are being swept away and here come these kids, focusing on fashion, referencing joke memes after a playoff loss. I’m not sure there’s a lack of seriousness to them, as Draymond said last season, but there is a lightness. They don’t come off like a group with the weight of the world pressing down on them. From the outside, we don’t really know what a championship would mean to these players like we might from having watched loquacious Anthony Edwards. When the Warriors rose up, I was acutely aware that they were an instantly popular baby face. It was only after the title that the favorability started to dip. If you win enough, a lot of fanbases come to resent you. Casuals get anxious for a new story. The Thunder are way too early to have worn out their welcome and not yet accomplished enough to provoke jealousy. So what gives? Why isn’t this organically built small market team more loved?
Many of the smarter voices in basketball analysis are debunking the populist rage over Shai's "foul baiting". FYI:He hasn't been in the top-400 of players for playoff free throw volume, andhis season was outside the top-30 for free throw volume. He's frustrating for other fan bases to watch because he's frustrating for their teams to guard.
Not all heroes wear capes, but Nick Gallo does whether he wants to or not.
Above the Break circles an OKC four-man unit as the "Thunderbolts", a la the Warriors "death lineup" from years ago:
The four-man lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace, in 48 playoff minutes, has a net rating of +46.39 and a defensive rating of 80.41...Who the fifth man is doesn’t really matter from a defensive perspective, and I’m not entirely sure this isn’t just what happens when you play Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Chet Holmgren together. However, the Thunder were the best team and defense entering the playoffs, have been the best team and defense in the playoffs, and have somehow unlocked a whole new gear. If the Thunder win the title, my money is on the Thunderbolts playing a massive role.
Matt Moore (aka Hardwood Paroxysm) onthe Thunder's defense:
OKC is the first defense I can remember where I can honestly say it is not up to you to contain turnovers. They have to fail or get called for fouls. That’s how good they are. It’s not just deflections and steals in passing lanes. It’s things like “deflecting the pass at the point of attack when a guy picks up his dribble” and “just taking the ball out of a guy’s hands on a drive.” ... The whistle matters a ton; I want the officials to call it as Bloodsport, but OKC needs it. They are a top-five foul team in the regular season and playoffs. In Game 6 vs. Denver, the Nuggets got into the bonus and ate there the whole game. If the Wolves can use their size to pick up a few extra fouls and Ant can grift a bit, OKC’s going to have a hard time defensively, even as good as they are.
⚡Prediction: OKC 132 MIN 115
Their defense has held firm, but will the lid finally come off of the Thunder offense? My theory is that the longer this group plays in the postseason, the more inevitable it will be that they revert to their regular-season form behind the arc.