Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally had a major say against the Los Angeles Lakers but insists the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have done nothing yet despite cruising into the West Conference finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander had been double-teamed throughout the series but the Lakers’ altered approach in Game Four freed him up to score 35 points as the Thunder wrapped up a 4-0 win with a 115-110 triumph.
It was the second successive series sweep for the Thunder as they look to back up their success of 12 months ago. They seem firmly on course to do exactly that but Gilgeous-Alexander was sounding a note of caution.
“We’ve done our job so far. That’s all it really means,” he said “We’ve gone out there, we’ve executed, we played at a high level and we’ve been able to win eight top games against really good opponents. That’s all it really means.
“Nothing’s guaranteed. In the play-offs, no two games are the same, especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up, I guess you could say. Everything that we’ve done so far is behind us. We still haven’t reached our goal.”
Daigneault delighted with Thunder display
The Lakers led by five points in the final quarter but Gilgeous-Alexander came back into the game and the Thunder simply swatted the Lakers aside.
“We’ve been very, very good,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we had more lapses tonight than we had had in previous games. So we have to learn from that. Obviously we have to play better in more of the 48 minutes, but I also think the wind’s going to be in your face in a playoff game for different reasons at different times and you’ve got to be able to recenter. I thought we did that exceptionally well tonight.”
Daigneault was quick to praise Gilgeous-Alexander for remaining patient throughout a series in which he had been targeted by the Lakers.
“I think you look down and you see 18 points or 22 points and it’s easy to rush to a conclusion on that,” Daigneault said. “But if you are really evaluating total and global impact, even with 18 points, the domino effect of the double teams are huge and him not fighting the game in those situations reeled back the double teams. He kind of hid in the grass, and then tonight he went and closed that thing.”
Disappointing exit for limp Lakers
It was a disappointing way to go out for the Lakers, for whom LeBron James scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds in a superb display.
It was not good enough though and star guard Austin Reaves summed it up by stating of Oklahoma: “They’re really f—ing good.”
