The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off the most impressive win of the NBA season last night, coming back from 24 down in the fourth quarter to beat the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime, on the road.
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That comeback has everybody talking, including Stephen A. Smith, who was asked on First Take this morning which player he’d rather build a team around: Anthony Edwards or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Stephen A.’s first response was, “Damn,” as he contemplated this difficult choice. He then made compelling points for both young stars, ultimately choosing Anthony Edwards because he’s more “box office.” If the decision was purely based on basketball, though, he’d go with OKC’s point guard.
It took a lofty comparison to make his point about how good SGA has been, but Stephen A. wasn’t wrong that Shai’s on pace to become only the second guard in NBA history to average 30 points a game on 50 percent shooting. The other? “Michael Jeffrey Jordan.”
Just like your mom calling for you when she found the mess you made, you know Stephen A. is serious when he starts throwing middle names around. Jordan is the greatest ever to hit that feat, so to invoke his name—let alone his full name—shows the respect he has for Gilgeous-Alexander’s game.
Stephen A. has said that SGA is his pick for MVP this year, and he said the same thing last year as well. Even so, he doesn’t believe the Thunder are ready to win the NBA title just yet, and Monday’s loss to the Wolves likely reinforces that feeling.
Can the Thunder overcome the doubters and prove they’re legit title contenders?
OKC was the 1-seed in the West last year but fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semis. On paper, they’re even stronger this year, as they’ve added Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, while the rest of their young roster has gained a year of valuable experience.
SGA scored 29 points or more in all six games of that series loss to the Mavericks, so he did his part to help his team advance. He’ll need the rest of the roster to step up this time around to go even farther.
“Michael Jeffrey Jordan. That’s the kind of pace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on.”
—@stephenasmith on SGA vs. Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/LfgLjdVqV6
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 25, 2025
Stephen A. is right to be skeptical of the Thunder until they show they can actually do it. Even Jordan’s Bulls didn’t win a title until his seventh year in the league—that’s where SGA is now. So if he wants to keep the comparison going, he’ll need to break through this spring.
The Thunder have been the class of the West all season, but we’ll see how they respond to this latest bit of adversity. It won’t be an easy playoff path, as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, the new-look Lakers, and Edwards’ Timberwolves are just a few of the teams that will stand in their way.
