MINNEAPOLIS — Mark Daigneault swears the Oklahoma City Thunder still have growing to do, hinting they’re not a complete product. He keeps trying to tamp down expectations in his own subtle way because once the pressure starts it’s endless.
But it’s impossible to deny the Thunder are bucking every trend, starting with the notion the NBA is no longer a place for Big Threes leading to big winning.
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The Thunder are now 48 minutes from advancing to the NBA Finals because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was joined in this playoff party by Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
In the Western Conference finals’ most competitive and entertaining game, it was the Thunder who looked more mature, more settled and more in control against the Minnesota Timberwolves, holding them off Monday night in a 128-126 win at Target Center to take a 3-1 series lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s readiness for June was hardly in question, but could Williams be a legit second scorer in a playoff game of consequence? And could the skinny Holmgren fill in the blanks, not get exploited and not get lost in a perimeter-heavy scheme?
Chet Holmgren, left, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are two-thirds of OKC’s new Big Three, and they agree the future looks bright. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Every time a Timberwolves player turned his head, it was one of those three making an impactful play to stem the tide, to be his own version of a clutch player. First it was Williams, who didn’t look ready for the moment in the Western Conference semifinals last year against Dallas, scoring over Anthony Edwards early and then hitting timely shots in the fourth quarter.
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The three combined for 95 points in a game full of elite shot-making against really good and intense defense, along with a hostile crowd ready to buoy its team to a tied series. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t his usual efficient self, but he managed to score 40 with 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Williams had six 3-pointers on the way to 34 points — 14 in the fourth quarter — while Holmgren scored 21 with seven rebounds. If this is the worst they’ll be and you can’t beat them now, parity is a pipe dream.
The only hope is the collective bargaining agreement, which thwarted the last potential Thunder dynasty.
“We still have so much more room to grow, which is scary,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They haven’t even hit close to their prime yet. Both are out there just playing on their talent right now. I’m excited for the future. But yeah, those two are quite the pair.”
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Gilgeous-Alexander marked off the ages of his two co-stars, Williams being 24 and Holmgren 23, which feels more like a threat to the West than anything else.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s second-to-last assist, sliding after a pivot, finding himself on the ground and pitching it between the legs of Jaden McDaniels to an open Williams for a shot-clock beating triple, put the Thunder up seven with 3:34 remaining.
Williams didn’t overreact to the clock running down, just like he didn’t overreact to the whipping the Thunder received two nights ago.
“This journey is not easy, and it’s not meant to be,” Williams said. “So these experiences will make us better, but just down the stretch, like you got to know the score, obviously, but you can’t let that affect the game.”
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The Thunder don’t even run plays for Holmgren, so he has to walk the balance of taking advantage of his clear physical gifts while not disrupting the flow of a rhythmic offense. Every bucket Holmgren scored seemed to sap the air out of the building, with nine of his 21 coming in the fourth quarter.
“I’m trying to keep the attempts up,” Holmgren said half-jokingly. “You know, I’m not scared to let it fly. I put the work in for a reason. At the end of the day, if I’m not shooting it’s going to be because my teammates, they stop passing the ball. They pass it to me, they expect me to shoot it.”
With the way the Timberwolves played in Game 3, it was easy to surmise a monster had been awakened, that the Thunder weren’t quite ready for the level of desperation Minnesota applied.
It felt like the winner of Game 4 would win the series, particularly if the Timberwolves managed to ride their own wave of desperation to even things up.
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But if the Thunder opened the front door to trouble, they slammed it shut and locked it away with no thought to where the key might be.
That’s how good they are.
They were good enough to survive the Timberwolves shooting better from the field, from 3-point range and from the line. They endured Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo each hitting five triples and then a 41-point Timberwolves fourth quarter.
“That game was unbelievably physical, and the guys just battled up and had to withstand a lot of runs by Minnesota,” Daigneault said. “Give their role guys credit. The shot-making was ridiculous. So for us to overcome that on the road, the way we did was a great team win.”
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What was most impressive was the way the Thunder dictated the terms of engagement. After Edwards exploded in Game 3, the Thunder went back to sending waves of bodies and limbs his way. For the first time in this series, Edwards looked confused and unsure, refusing to force the action. In the first half he had only two shot attempts, content to give the shooters open shots.
While it seemed like the right play — and in a traditional basketball sense, it was — it took the Timberwolves away from how they wanted to play, and Edwards couldn’t assert himself.
It’s a reminder that he’s 23, younger than OKC second option Williams, the same age as third option Holmgren — and more importantly, three years younger than Gilgeous-Alexander.
By the time Edwards got going, there was no chance he could get into a rhythm. It’ll haunt him going into Game 5 and likely into the summer no matter when this series ends. In time, as the Timberwolves assist him in roster growth, it’ll help in matters like this.
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In theory, Game 4 was there for the taking for Edwards and the Timberwolves, but the Thunder just refused to let the game be dictated by anyone other than themselves. They were somewhat OK with DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker getting looks, but not so much with McDaniels, who continues to be a problem.
But Edwards and Randle? No way.
“I don’t think you’re ever comfortable giving up those shots. You can’t play a perfect game,” Holmgren said. “But when there’s a really good player and they’re trying to get free, you just can’t let that guy get free.”
That’s the mark of a champion, having the calculus to know what they can accept and what they can’t — and the Thunder knew what they were walking into and didn’t flinch.
That isn’t just bad news for the rest of the league for now but for the future, especially if their three stars don’t plan on going anywhere.
