Basketball: Gilgeous-Alexander Delivers Thunder NBA Crown

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capped a dominant season as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Championship after beating the Indiana Pacers in game seven of the play-off finals.

The Canadian, 26, scored 29 points and had 12 assists in their 103-91 success over the Indiana Pacers in Oklahoma to clinch the series 4-3 – the first time since 2016 that the finals had gone to a deciding seventh game.

He was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) to add to his NBA regular season MVP award and scoring title, just the fourth player and the first since Shaquille O’Neal to achieve the rare treble in one season.

It is the Thunder’s first title since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008 after Seattle won the 1979 crown.

The Pacers lost key player Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest when he slipped and fell while driving towards the basket, but still held a narrow 48-47 lead at half-time.

However, the Thunder, who with an average age of 25.6 are the youngest side to win an NBA Finals title since the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead out to as many as 22 points (90-68) in the fourth.

“It doesn’t feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.

“It’s crazy to know that we’re all here. But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this.”

“Our togetherness on and off the court, like how much fun we have, it made it so much easier. It made it feel like we were just kids playing basketball. It was so fun.

“We have a lot to grow, individually and as a group. I’m excited for the future of this team. This is a great start. I’m really excited for this team.”

The Thunder completed a franchise record 68-win season, just four years after they recorded only 22 victories across a Covid-shortened 2020-21 campaign, their first under coach Mark Daigneault, who took over in November 2020.

“They behave like champions, they compete like champions,” said the 40-year-old, who has overseen a dramatic change of fortunes which saw the Thunder break through last season with a play-off appearance.

“They root for each others’ success, which is rare in professional sports. I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it one more time – this is an uncommon team and now they’re champions.

“The whole run I’ve tried to help the guys just be who we are, and all we needed is to be who we are.”

Agony for Haliburton

The exit of Haliburton, who had scored three three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, was a cruel blow for the Pacers.

The 25-year-old point guard had suffered a right calf strain in Game 5 which he had been playing through, but he screamed with pain as he fell to the ground and had to be helped off court.

“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, adding that Haliburton was in the locker room at half-time “and he was very much a part of a group that believed that they could do this”.

Carlisle added: “He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened. But he’ll be back in time.”

Bbc.com