Slithering and snaking his way past and through the defense for what seemed like the thousandth time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got to one of his favorite spots on the floor (there are many), raised up and completed what, at this point, is simply a formality — another mid-range jumper that went straight through the bottom of the net.
“Why is he so good!” a fan exclaimed after the shot, as heard by CBS Sports NBA writer James Herbert from press row at Madison Square Garden.
The sentiment was surely shared by all New York Knicks fans in attendance, who alternated boos and sighs as they watched what was supposed to be a gripping battle between two heavyweights morph into an Apollo Creed-Ivan Drago level bloodbath. Yes, the fans had seen just about enough of Gilgeous-Alexander by the conclusion of Friday night’s 126-101 Oklahoma City Thunder victory, in which they led by as many as 30 points.
The 6-6 guard, third in the league in scoring, put on an absolute master class with 39 points in 29 minutes, making 15 of his 21 field goal attempts and going 8 for 8 from the free throw line. Perhaps most remarkably, given the modern NBA landscape, was that he scored all those points while taking — and making — just one 3-pointer.
“He can make it look easy sometimes, but it’s not easy,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander after the game. “Some of that’s his growth individually as a player, and just things slowing down for him as he gains more and more experience. He’s, you know, still at the beginning of his prime as a player.”
It must have seemed like a disturbing replay to the Knicks, as Gilgeous-Alexander had just torched them for 33 points and seven assists exactly one week prior in another, albeit much closer, OKC victory. In fact, Friday night completed a gauntlet in which the Thunder played four consecutive games against the three best teams in the Eastern Conference over the span of seven days.
Take whatever conclusion you want from the team emerging 3-1, with their only loss coming to the league-leading Cleveland…
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