The OKC Thunder have now progressed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after a blowout Game 5 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured his first Western Conference Finals MVP award as the Thunder beat the Timberwolves 124-94. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 14 of 25 from the floor (56%) and went 2 of 4 from beyond the three-point line.
He became one of three NBA players to ever score 30+ points and 5+ assists over 10 times in a single postseason. The other two players on that list are Michael Jordan, who did it in 1989, 1990, and 1992, and LeBron James, who did it in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 29.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in 16 games played so far in the postseason. He had 30+ points and 5+ rebounds in all games except twice against the Grizzlies (Games 1 and 2), thrice against the Nuggets (Games 3, 4, and 7), and once against the Timberwolves (Game 3).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Performs Like Michael Jordan For The Second Time This Season
This is not the first time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named on the same list as Michael Jordan. Following his 40-point masterclass in Game 4, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first MVP since Jordan to have the most 30+ point games in a single season (combining both regular season and playoffs) with 59 30+ point games. Jordan had 50+ 30-point games four times in a single season, namely in 1988(65), 1991 (59), 1992 (60), and 1996 (55).
Gilgeous-Alexander was initially tied with Jordan for sixth position on the list, topped by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (67 times), followed by Michael Jordan (65), Bob McAdoo (65), and Wilt Chamberlain (64). Then Jordan's 1992 season features once again on the list before SGA and MJ are tied for the sixth position.
Following his 34-point performance in Game 5 of the series, he is now tied for fifth position on the list for most 30-point games in a single season.
What LeBron James Thinks Of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
While discussing the mid-range game in the modern NBA with Steve Nash on his Mind the Game podcast, LeBron James spoke highly of Gilgeous-Alexander's style of play.
"The (shot) creators in our game have always worked on mid-ranges," James said. "The common fan will say there are no mid-ranges in our game. It's just fastbreaks, layups, threes, and free throws. But that's just absolutely not true."
Even in the second half of last season, right before the All-Star break, he lauded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Anthony Edwards and claimed those two can keep the game of basketball alive after James retires. He was asked which young star he was looking forward to playing with the most in the All-Star game last year.
"I would say Shai and Ant-Man (Anthony Edwards)," James said. "I feel like those are two of the guys who can continue the torch when I'm done, after Steph (Curry) and KD (Kevin Durant)."
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