While waiting for the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves to conclude their best-of-7 series in the Western Conference semifinals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted a message to his social media. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals after winning Game 4 to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers.
What has turned into a trend for advancing to the next round of this year's playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander posted the following message to his Instagram page to commemorate the Thunder's 8-0 record amidst their title defense.
“i'm not thinking about how I could've ate more, i'm thinking about how I could win eight more,” Gilgeous-Alexander captioned his post.
After a modest start to the best-of-7 series where Gilgeous-Alexander finished with less than 20 points for the first time in a year, along with seven turnovers, the reigning MVP's performances improved as the series went on. He saved his best for last, sealing a back-to-back Thunder sweeps through the first two rounds with 35 points on 11-for-22 shooting, and eight assists in Game 4 against the Lakers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's mic drop shot at LeBron James
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Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed his free-throw merchant label in a clever way, which included Lakers All-Star LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Gilgeous-Alexander felt the hate from Lakers fans on the road, which he admits is understandable, considering the high stakes, and the passionate fanbase of one of the most-storied franchises in the NBA.
Gilgeous-Alexander embraces the spirit of competition on all levels in the playoffs, he said, per ESPN's Tim Keown.
“It's fun to me,” he says. “The way I see it, the fans, the people that watched the games and root against us, they want their team to win. You will never hear an Oklahoma City Thunder fan complaining about my free throws. You will never hear a Lakers fan complaining about LeBron or Luka's free throws.”
The Spurs, with a 3-2 lead, will have a chance to close out their series in Game 6 on Thursday.
While waiting for the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves to conclude their best-of-7 series in the Western Conference semifinals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted a message to his social media. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals after winning Game 4 to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers.