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It is indisputable that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the world today. He has been demonstrating it every night for years and since his arrival at the Thunder In 2019 he placed his franchise in another dimension. And he has done it with performances as colossal as the one he signed in the victory against the Clippers (134-128)paradoxically his first team in the NBA, where he played his first season in the League (2018-19).
The Canadian point guard 1.98 m and 26 years old He destroyed his former Los Angeles teammates with a statistic never seen before in NBA history: 45 points (9/13 t2, 4/8 t3 and 15/16 tl), 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Nobody had ever had a statistical line like that in the best League in the world. A recital that had its prelude in a colossal first part with 21 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in 39 minutes on the court.
His fourteenth game with 40 or more points
In the first game of Oklahoma City Thunder since he lost Chet Holmgren for at least two months due to a hip fracture, and perhaps that is why Gilgeous-Alexander pulled his team harder than ever, signing his personal scoring record in the NBA. It was the fourteenth game of his career in which he scored 40 or more points, a threshold reserved only for a select few, including him.
I didn’t feel special, I didn’t feel like I was doing something I’d never done before. It just felt like another basketball game. I felt like I should have done more, I missed some easy shots, but that’s the game.
But after the game there was not a hint of euphoria on his face, giving normality to a superlative performance within the reach of very few players. “I didn’t feel special,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was doing something I’d never done before.. It just felt like another basketball game. I felt like I should have done more, that I missed some easy shots, but that’s the game.” Even in a match in which he bordered on perfection, he was self-critical. False modesty?
Gilgeous-Alexander tries to block James Harden’s jump shot.
Last season’s elimination in the second round of the playoffs against the Mavericks still haunts his mind. “I don’t say this to belittle my teammates, but for many of them it was their first time in the playoffs with such important games.”. And I don’t want to say they weren’t ready, but I feel like I could have prepared them better throughout the year to take certain shotsthey reached the right places and felt more comfortable in certain positions on the court, especially in attack.
Help your colleagues improve
Shai he feels guilty about it and at the beginning of the season it is focused on helping his colleagues gain that experience so as not to repeat that abrupt ending. He is more concerned about that than his numbers: “I feel that in the playoffs we were good in defense, but not in attack, that’s why we lost. And “Part of my job is to make sure my teammates are confident and ready for the big moments.”.
Shai knows that the ball will always return to his hands, he knows that at any moment he can take control of the game. It is very reminiscent of the greats like Michael Jordan
The Canadian, after his enormous performance, received all kinds of praise from his teammates and rivals, including Clippers coach Tyronn Lue: “When you are a young player, you can lose control or try to get more points. He knows that the style of play is going to come to him, he knows that the ball is going to return to his hands. He allows other players to get going, but knows that at any moment he can take control of the game. It is very reminiscent of the greats like Michael Jordan“.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tries to block James Harden’s layup attempt.
The Thunder’s starting quintet finished in double figures in scoring with a very outstanding performance by Jalen Williams (28+8+6), seconded by Lou Dort (19+2), Isiah Joe (12+3+3+3 steals) and Aaron Wiggins (10+4+4), plus the contribution of Alex Caruso (12+2) from the bench. All of them are responsible for their team’s great start to the campaign. (9-2).
Harden stroked the triple-double… without success
The Clippers (6-5) They competed until the end thanks above all to Norman Powell (31+2+4), Ivica Zubac (22+14) and Derrick Jones Jr. (20+5+3), on a night in which James Harden stroked the triple-double (17+11+9)but with bad shooting percentages (5/15 tc, especially two points with 2/8). Insufficient against Thunder who bite in defense: They stole 16 balls and caused up to 23 losses of the Angelenos.
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