Even with a pair of scares on the road, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to dismantle the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference’s only four-game sweep. Led by their star and likely MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC never had to sweat about their opponent too much outside of a Game 3 battle that ended when Ja Morant left the game with injury. The Thunder are, at this point, the title favorites. Shannon Sharpe recently made an observation about the team’s offense and SGA’s impact on it.
Advertisement
The Hall of Fame tight end pointed out how Shai and costar Jalen Williams have completely taken over the offense this postseason. Undoubtedly the top two talents on this young Thunder squad, Sharpe went through the field goal attempts for each OKC player and was pleased with what he saw in the box score.
The Thunder boast arguably the deepest and most well-rounded rotation in the association, but many of the team’s other top talents are defensive-minded. Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso are all key defensive stoppers not relied on for their offensive production. This allows OKC to keep balance on the court and ensure the best players are the ones shooting.
“What I like is that [Jalen] Williams and Shai take most of the shots,” Sharpe said on Nightcap. “Because you look at it, they took a combined 45 shots, and then you have [Chet] Holmgren was the next most shot at nine… So your big dogs eating.”
Sharpe stressed that this was a unique situation, as sometimes players don’t play the role their team needs in the postseason. “Sometimes you get to the playoffs, guys start to try to make a name for themselves, and then you’re supposed to be shooting seven or eight times, and all of a sudden 14, 15 times. No, woah, woah. What you doing?”
That isn’t the case for this Thunder squad. Everyone knows their role, and as a result, SGA is constantly the one leading the way on offense. The 26-year-old put together another MVP-worthy performance in OKC’s series-clinching win on Saturday.
SGA must continue dominant trend if OKC hopes to make playoff noise
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admittedly didn’t have to do much in OKC’s Game 1 victory, as he scored just 15 points in 23 minutes before the game was already decided. Once the three-time All-Star had to take on a full offensive workload, though, he responded admirably. Shai posted 27 and 31 points in Games 2 and 3, respectively, before an electrifying 38-point night in Game 4.
The Grizzlies never proved to be too much of a threat to the championship-hopeful Thunder, but the road to a title won’t be getting any easier. Oklahoma City will either take on the Los Angeles Clippers or the Denver Nuggets in the next round, both squads with savvy, championship-caliber veterans.
Gilgeous-Alexander will have to prove why he’s the MVP if the Thunder hope to make their first Western Conference Finals since Kevin Durant was still with the team. Even after posting the best record in the West, OKC still has more to prove before teams truly fear them.
