Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrated by spreading his arms wide before the basket went in.
Cason Wallace waited patiently for the ball to pass through the basket while keeping his right arm high in the air.
Soon enough, it followed inevitably.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominant opening period, which ended Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday, was sealed with Wallace’s corner 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Thunder’s best-of-seven series was concluded by Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 34 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
According to Gilgeous-Alexander, “I didn’t want to travel back to Minnesota and I wanted the fans to enjoy the moment with us.”
For the fifth time in franchise history, the Thunder are making the NBA Finals. This is their first appearance since 2012. When the Seattle-based organization made its first three appearances,
On June 5, Oklahoma City will host Game 1 of the championship game between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander said, “Happy for this moment, but this isn’t our goal.” The road is still being traveled.
The Thunder’s early dominance of the game was evident on Wednesday, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren buried the Timberwolves beneath the weight of a stifling defense and playmaking.
Oklahoma City quickly won the game, leading by 17 in the first quarter and by 33 at half.
The Timberwolves’ season came to an end in the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row.
This summer, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said, “I’m going to work my butt off.” No one will put in that much work for me this summer, I’ll say it.
In the opening quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander, who once more demonstrated why he was chosen as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), provided five of his assists.
The Timberwolves’ first hoop came on the first possession the Timberwolves had, and Gilgeous-Alexander had a hand in each of the five Oklahoma City baskets in the 11-0 run that started the Thunder’s march toward the championship.
Gilgeous-Alexander drained a finger roll to start the separation in that stretch, adding four assists, three of which came from Holmgren buckets.
The Timberwolves kicked off Game 4 hot off the field on Monday, but the game ended 128-126.
Minnesota started off offence-wise, going just 1-for-11 from the field in the first five minutes.
In the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored or provided 24 of the Thunder’s 26 first-quarter points, outscoring Minnesota 12-9.
In the first half, Minnesota forced 14 turnovers, compared to field goals’ (12). With 21 turnovers, the Timberwolves came in.
Williams added 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while Holmgren added 22 and seven.
“These guys really make me feel like I’m playing AAU basketball like I’m back in my 15th year,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. It’s simply enjoyable. That is what makes us exceptional. Being out together is a lot of fun.
Edwards scored 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while Julius Randle had 24 for the Timberwolves.
According to Edwards, “they dominated the game from the beginning.” “Tip my hat to those guys, I can’t help but.” They prepared themselves.
Source: Aljazeera
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