Less than a week after eliminating his main NBA Most Valuable Player rival Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doubled down as he was crowned the NBA Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star edged Jokic in this year’s MVP race, avenging his runner-up finish last season to become the third player in Thunder franchise history and the second Canadian ever to win the league’s most prestigious individual award.
The seven-year veteran is unquestionably worthy of this honor, having led Oklahoma City to the league’s best regular season record (68-14) while leading the NBA in scoring with a per game average of 32.7 points.
The rise of Gilgeous-Alexander’s to become the league’s MVP has been a phenomenal journey and a rousing success story for Oklahoma City’s front office. Just eight years ago, Russell Westbrook was the team’s starting point guard and the league’s MVP. Today, the franchise has rebuilt itself from the ground up into an even stronger championship contender around another lead guard who has been named the NBA MVP.
Before Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals match-up versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the Michael Jordan NBA Most Valuable Player trophy by commissioner Adam Silver on the Thunder’s home court. Unfazed by the pre-game hoopla, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder pulled off a dominant 118-103 win over the Timberwolves to move ahead 2-0 in their best-of-seven series.
Oklahoma City used a torrid third quarter run to secure the win. Their eight-point halftime lead ballooned to as much as 24 points late in the third quarter as they overwhelmed Minnesota on all fronts. Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant as usual during the contest, finishing with a game-high 38 points on 11-of-21 field goals and 13-of-15 free throws. He also had three rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and just one turnover.
The Thunder are now only two wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. This defensive-minded group is the odds on favorite to win it all, especially if Gilgeous-Alexander can continue playing at this level.
What’s frightening for the rest of the league is that the 26-year-old guard is only entering his prime and this MVP win is sure to be only just the beginning for him. A vicious storm is brewing in Oklahoma City and about to tear through the NBA with the force of nature that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander right at the heart of it.
