Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t like … the way the Thunder won the title

You can finish as the top scorer of the league, become its MVP, win your first title and another trophy for the best player, this time in the finals, and still be… dissatisfied. Four months after the end of the idyllic season at all levels, individual and collective, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains critical of the latter.

« Honestly, I didn’t like the way we won, if that makes sense (so to speak). I don’t think we won the NBA title by playing our best basketball », that’s how “SGA” decides.

The leader of the Thunder recalls that he and his team went this far in the playoffs for the first time. ” So it was a learning experience for us. But it takes a higher level of focus, discipline, poise and aggression to be the team we were in the regular season and do it again in the playoffs. “, so he judges.

More dominant in the regular season

It must be remembered that the Thunder began their playoff campaign in the context of complete dominance in the regular season. This group finished with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses, with one of the best “net rating” (number of points scored over 100 possessions – number of points conceded over 100 possessions) in history (12.8). Only the 1996 Bulls were better (13.4).

In the first round of the playoffs, they swept the Grizzlies while the Canadian played somewhat below his standards. At the back, Marc Daigneault’s men had to work hard to beat the Nuggets in seven games, before having to do the same against the Pacers in the finals after beating the Wolves in five games in the conference finals.

« We were obviously more dominant in the regular season than in the playoffs. So yeah, that’s what hit me the most. And I, as a player, don’t think I was as good in the playoffs as I was in the regular season. Now it’s something natural when you face the same team seven times in a row and they can analyze you seven times in a row », logically analyzes the current MVP, who in the last stages lost an average of about 3 points compared to the season.

Master even more aspects of the game

While his team is experiencing a new record (10 wins – 1 loss), based on the historical report in “Net Tating” (13.5), “SGA” personally believes that it is still far from the goal, that it has more control over the game.

« There are so many aspects of basketball, especially at my position, where I have the ball so often… I’m the point of attack on the offense. There is the game without the ball, different levels of scoring, the other side of the court, scoring in transition. There are so many aspects and dimensions of the game that the greatest players have mastered ” notes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, citing Rajon Rondo, who played as ” trainer on the floor ».

“SGA” therefore seems to want to be even smarter in its approach, to allow its training to take a new step. Words that sound like a warning to the rest of the league.

« I feel we could have done better. Apparently we were good enough. But I always come back to the fact that being good enough isn’t why I started playing. I never wanted to be good enough to make the AAU team or the varsity team. I wanted to be big. This mentality does not change, regardless of the context », term-t-il.