(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Oklahoma City Thunder easily beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the opening round of the playoffs.
During the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again everywhere and scored 33 points and 5 assists.
After the victory, Chet Holmgren spoke up for Gilgeous-Alexander and made a strong comment about his teammate.
“He’s too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here,” Holmgren said, via the NBA on Twitter.
“He’s too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here” pic.twitter.com/Vh8v7eZXal
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2024
Gilgeous-Alexander, always a humble star, didn’t say anything about Holmgren’s comment.
However, he should get used to a lot of people saying this about him.
Even if Nikola Jokic wins MVP this season, there will be plenty of fans who think it should have gone to the Thunder star.
He averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 2023-24 and helped his team reach a brand new level.
For the first time in years, they reached the number one seed in the West despite their youth and inexperience in the postseason.
When the playoffs got started, some people thought their Cinderella story would come to an end and their deficiencies would become evident.
But so far, they have looked incredibly competitive, partly thanks to the amazing work of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Of course, the team is playing against a Pelicans team that is missing its biggest star: Zion Williamson.
Still, their fierce drive and superior skills cannot be ignored and Gilgeous-Alexander and his team have looked like the real deal in this opening round.
All season long, the Thunder have been waiting for this moment and they are rising to the occasion.
The playoffs are very long and a lot can change in the days and weeks ahead but, right now, Gilgeous-Alexander is playing like an MVP and his team is performing like true Finals contenders.
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