Tip-off: 7:30pm @ Target Center, Minneapolis | Broadcast: ABC
⚡Shai's Time
ICYMI: I wrote about Shai's ascension, the fan hate coming his way, and his NBA takeover:
We should have, from the start, focused on how the pieces fit around Shai and not the reverse... It was once nice to know that SGA could hypothetically be paired with Joel Embiid or Damian Lillard, but it's more relevant to realize that the likes of Al Horford and Jrue Holiday are better fits alongside Shai than they were next to Embiid or Giannis. (Tim) Duncan could win a title next to smart, skilled veterans and a blossoming player of Kawhi Leonard's magnitude; SGA is attempting to do the same alongside Chet Holmgren and/or Jalen Williams.
[Shai Is The NBA’s Next Big Thing
SGA expects to win so much that his stardom will be inevitable. We shouldn’t be surprised when he takes over the league.
](https://www.dailythunder.com/shai-is-the-nbas-next-big-thing/)
⚡Too Good to Be True?
This Thunder team was really, really good in the regular season and has been really, really good in the postseason.We're not supposed to overreact to winning home games in the playoffs, and plenty of 2-0 series flipped from "over" to "hard-fought" before. But aside from some tough testing against Denver, OKS has looked dominant. Whether the Wolves can put up a fight in Game 3 is an open question, since nothing they threw at the Thunder really worked in the first two games of the series. Going up 3-0 on the road would remove most doubt about OKC's prospects to reach the Finals again.
⚡Prediction: OKC 122 MIN 99 (Thunder in 5)
I keep waiting for the Thunder to play with the edge completely off, but they keep missing more shots than a team of their capabilities ought to. Maybe tonight is the night the lid comes off the basket for good.