Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may have won the MVP award again, but after his season-ending performance against the Spurs in Oklahoma City, he made it clear that individual accomplishments don’t matter to him.
“My goal failed,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder’s Game 7 loss. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learned the most about myself and made the most progress in my career when I failed and didn’t get what I wanted.”
The Thunder entered the playoffs chasing back-to-back championships, but Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs ended those hopes in brutal fashion.
Despite averaging over 31 points per game during the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to regain his usual efficiency throughout the Western Conference Finals.
In the seven-game series, he averaged 25.9 points per game, shooting 40.9% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
The Spurs defense completely changed the situation.
“They have a guy on the back who’s a little bit different,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Wembanyama. “They gave it all to him. … It was a really good defense. But it wasn’t impossible to score. I just thought it was very different.”
The Spurs threw Stephon Castle to Gilgeous-Alexander on the perimeter and Wembanyama erased the paint behind him, forcing Oklahoma City into difficult shots throughout the series.
Even with the pressure, SGA nearly led the Thunder over the finish line in Game 7, scoring 35 points on 21 shots.
But Oklahoma City is severely shorthanded.
Jaylen Williams aggravated a hamstring injury early in the series and played limited time before ultimately missing Game 7 entirely.
“Obviously, I think I can make an impact,” Williams said. “I think we probably would have won if I had played. To go seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I would have made it any worse for us.”
Chet Holmgren also struggled against Wembanyama, averaging just 10.7 points in the series.
Still, Gilgeous-Alexander refused to place the blame anywhere else.
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