“Not His Fault”: Jamal Crawford Stands Up for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Defends Thunder Star for “Just Playing the Game”

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a crucial Game 1 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Post-game discussion didn’t praise the Thunder’s dominance, though. Instead it critiqued their star player. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance left a poor impression on fans, who have accused him of over-acting to draw fouls and head to the free-throw line. Former NBA star Jamal Crawford came to the MVP candidate’s defense, urging people not to direct hate to SGA.

OKC made easy work of Minnesota in Game 1. They ran away with the game in the second half, outscoring the Timberwolves 70-40 en route to a 114-88 win. Gilgeous-Alexander was exceptional despite receiving a great deal of criticism.

The three-time All-Star finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists while struggling from the field. He shot only 37% but did most of his damage from the free-throw line, where he went 14 times, making 11 of his attempts.

SGA’s means of getting to the charity stripe didn’t seem the most natural. Pat McAfee is firmly against Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-baiting. In the recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, he asked Jamal Crawford for his opinion on the matter, but Crawford simply defended Gilgeous-Alexander, stating he isn’t doing anything wrong.

“It’s not like we’re playing in the summer and it’s 14-14, and he’s the one calling these bad calls at LA Fitness,” Crawford said. “The refs are actually calling the calls. It’s not his fault. He’s just playing the game.”

Crawford believes Gilgeous-Alexander is blameless. He’s not forcing the referees to make those calls. He is simply playing by the rules, and the officials are the ones responsible for the whistle decisions.

On the contrary, the 3x Sixth Man of the Year urges fans to appreciate SGA, and backs it with an interesting statistic. “If you took out all his free throws, he would still lead the league in scoring,” Crawford revealed.

Without considering free throws, Gilgeous-Alexander remains the league’s leading scorer with a total of 1,883 points. Anthony Edwards is second with 1,762 points.

The Canadian superstar isn’t the only piece contributing to the Thunder’s dominance. Crawford views the team as a whole and expects them to win the NBA championship.

“[The Oklahoma City Thunder] are like a really, really good college team,” Crawford explained. “They have no jealousy. They’re my pick to win the Finals.”

OKC is now just three wins away from turning Crawford’s prophecy into reality. They will look to get one step closer with a Game 2 victory on Thursday, May 23, at 8:30 PM ET.