It didn’t take long after Oklahoma City’s Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to start turning the page.
“Oh, I’m good. I’m ready to go,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Biggest game of my career.”
That’s bold talk for a player that led his team to a Game 7 win in the NBA Finals last season.
But Gilgeous-Alexander is putting that kind of weight on Saturday’s Game 7 matchup with the Spurs in Oklahoma City for a berth in the NBA Finals.
It’s the first Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals since Golden State-Houston in 2018 and just the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between top two seeds since the 16-team format began in 1983.
The winner will take on the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals beginning Wednesday.
Saturday’s game will be the fifth Game 7 of these playoffs, tied for the most winner-take-all games in a single postseason.
Home teams have split the previous four, with the 76ers and Cavaliers finishing off series with Game 7 wins on the road.
The Thunder will try to turn things around after San Antonio led wire-to-wire in Game 6.
“It’s a double-edged sword, right?” Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso said. “You gotta put it behind you, clear the mind, and get ready to compete again, but also learn from what you did wrong and try to figure out how you can be better.”
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been efficient in the series, shooting just 37.9% from the floor. And Jalen Williams, who played 10 ineffective minutes in Game 6 while playing through his left hamstring injury, was ruled out for Game 7.
But during last season’s run to the NBA championship, the Thunder won a pair of Game 7s at home, both after losing Game 6 by double figures.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said those experiences will help.
“Take the lessons from tonight that are relevant for Game 7 and be ready to go out there and throw our best punch,” Daigneault said.
While Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have Game 7 experience, this will be the first such situation for the Spurs and star Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama is averaging 28.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game during the series.
After being somewhat passive in Game 5, Wembanyama set the tone in Game 6 and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. He’s shooting 48.2% from the floor in the series.
“I think that’s his biggest growth this year is not waiting to be perfect or necessarily knowing what to do all the time,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “but attack the moment and have the right approach and live with the results.”
Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is expected to remain throughout the rest of its playoff run despite reportedly closing in on a deal to coach Orlando, according to reports Friday.
Sweeney has been a key to the defensive improvement that has helped make San Antonio a title contender this season.
In Thursday’s Game 6 win, it was the Spurs’ defense that kickstarted the 20-0 third-quarter run that put the game away.
–Field Level Media
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