The Oklahoma City Thunder are calling their shot!
The franchise has embarked on a turnaround that is nothing short of remarkable. They've improved to an impressive 57-25 record this year and secured the No.1 seed in a loaded NBA Western Conference.
This young team has grown up in front of the world, and with their recent playoff success, the Oklahoma City Thunder may feel that now is their time to go on an NBA Championship run.
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Big Three
The Thunder have leaned on their Big Three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams throughout the regular season. Now in the playoffs, this young core has so far cemented themselves atop the league in postseason play.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leader of the youthful bunch, is coming off his best season yet as a pro, averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
His 30.1 points was good for second in the league in scoring, and SGA was also second in the league in steals behind De'Aaron Fox.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's play in the postseason has been electrifying as he has managed to be the lead scorer the Thunder need. Putting in some big time performances in their first-round matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, including going off for 33 points in Game 2 of the series.
Chet Holmgren had a breakout rookie season and has well exceeded expectations in the postseason with his rim protection and floor spacing.
Jalen Williams has been exceptional all season long, stepping up as the third option on this team as a reliant scorer.
Williams has had star moments so far in the postseason, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Mavericks to help the Thunder secure the win.
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No MVP but Eyes NBA Championship
Some were caught by surprise as SGA finished second in MVP voting this season behind Nikola Jokic.
Many around the basketball world deemed this as an outright robbery due to how great Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder were all season long.
Based on his impact during the regular season and even in the postseason, SGA has shown the world that he is very much worthy of the prestigious award.
SGA is averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in the playoffs; stats mirroring his regular-season success while continuing to show a mixture of scoring along with facilitating and playmaking for other teammates.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently facing another MVP candidate in Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, each looking to lead their team to the Western Conference Finals.
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