Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sends good message after Thunder make Finals

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added to his trophy case on Wednesday night time, however he’s nonetheless removed from glad.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder superior to the NBA Finals with a 124-94 victory in Recreation 5 of their Western Convention Finals collection in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was one other environment friendly scoring effort for Gilgeous-Alexander, who completed with 34 factors on 14-of-25 to associate with seven rebounds and eight assists to tempo the Thunder.

After the ultimate buzzer, Oklahoma Metropolis acquired their Western Convention title trophy. Gilgeous-Alexander was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters and made positive to emphasize that the work was not near completed.

“It is a step in the best course, however we’ve got much more work to do,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We all know that, and that’s what we’re centered on.”

Gilgeous-Alexander then closed issues out with a six-word message — “Let’s buckle up and prepare.”

Throughout the ceremony, Gilgeous-Alexander was additionally named Western Convention Finals MVP. It was a clear sweep for Gilgeous-Alexander, who acquired all 9 votes for the award from the media panel.

Gilgeous-Alexander was lately named NBA MVP as effectively after main the league with 32.7 factors per sport and spearheading a 68-win common season for the Thunder. However that’s precisely the form of perspective that the 26-year-old star must have, especially since Gilgeous-Alexander still has a lot of doubters who query his fashion of play.

The Thunder, who’re within the NBA Finals for the primary time since 2012 now recover from per week off earlier than the Finals start on June 5. They’ll play the winner of the Jap Convention Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks (which the Pacers at present lead 3-1 heading into Thursday’s Recreation 5 in New York).