Thunder earn trip to NBA Finals with rout of Wolves
By the Athletic staff
The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after cruising to a 124-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 34 points and eight assists to lead the Thunder. He was particularly productive in the first half, scoring or assisting on 32 points to match Minnesota’s total after two quarters.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named Western Conference finals MVP.
Julius Randle paced the Timberwolves with 24 points and Anthony Edwards contributed 19.
After a slow start that generated just nine points in the first quarter, Minnesota struggled to maintain possession and generally looked out of sorts. The Thunder flexed their dominant defense with 14 steals and eight blocks while limiting Edwards to his third sub-40% field-goal game of the series.
A 24-footer from OKC guard Lu Dort with 6½ minutes left in the fourth quarter put an exclamation point on the rout as fans sang “Hey, hey, goodbye,” to the Timberwolves.
The Thunder awaits the result of the Eastern Conference finals with the knowledge that they will host the East champion to open the NBA Finals.
The Indiana Pacers hold a 3-1 advantage over the New York Knicks with Game 5 slated for Thursday at 5 p.m.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for June 5.
Thunder are dominant again
This time, there might be no stopping them.
The Thunder advanced through the Western Conference finals with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It will be the Thunder’s first appearance since Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden led the franchise to the NBA Finals in 2012.
The Thunder lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat that season, giving LeBron James his first championship.
Now, the West’s top-seeded Thunder, despite entering the season as the league’s youngest team, will be the favorite to win it all. Gilgeous-Alexander is a major reason, and he showed why again with another dominant 34-point, seven-rebound, eight-assist closeout performance. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists in the series, earning Western Conference Finals MVP.
With co-stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder possess a similar three-headed monster to that trio Thunder fans loved in the franchise’s early days.
What separates this team from that one – and will likely be the determining factor in the Finals – is defensive dominance.
At halftime in Game 5, the Thunder hounded the Timberwolves into more turnovers (14) than made field goals (12).
OKC’s lead stood at 33 at that point and swelled to as much as 37.
It was the Thunder’s sixth win by at least 15 points in their 16 postseason games.
Now, they are just four wins shy of capturing their first championship in the Oklahoma City era.
Wolves stall in conference finals again
A dominant first quarter by the finals-bound Thunder tested every ounce of the Timberwolves’ resolve before Game 5’s opening period ended.
Minnesota opened the night with its lowest-scoring quarter of the season as the Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander began the early workings of another masterpiece.
The Timberwolves’ nine first-quarter points were almost tripled by the MVP’s output via scoring and assists by then (24 points).
Stacks of missed shots, turnovers and defensive lapses made it impossible for the Timberwolves to get within striking distance.
They took almost 20 minutes to crack the 20-point threshold, which should worry a team with a payroll over $200 million.
Although Minnesota has clinched more Western Conference finals berths in the past two seasons (well, two) than its 34 years of existence, most of the Timberwolves’ series against the Thunder showed the gap between the franchises.
Of course, the latter’s finals run is another step in separating from the league, but Minnesota must gauge what steps to take to inch closer to the title round.
The possible free agencies of two key players (Julius Randle, Naz Reid), the future of an aging Mike Conley and the long-term viability of defensive anchor Rudy Gobert will be key puzzles for the Timberwolves to solve in an effort to finally get over the hump.