OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� The normally stoic Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that put Oklahoma City down 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals.
Oklahoma City's MVP award finalist, from Hamilton, Ontario, spent the rest of the series showing what he was grinning about. He averaged 30.8 points on 55.8 per cent shooting over the next four games, and the Thunder won three of those to advance to the conference finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the smile was a response to fans who were razzing him.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to taunt when you鈥檙e up,鈥� Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 3. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 ever want to show them that I鈥檓 defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing鈥檚 written. The series is not over, and we have a lot to be optimistic about."
He backed up that claim by in a Game 4 win, victory, loss and in Game 7 on Sunday.
The Thunder will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA's Western Conference finals starting Tuesday.
Oklahoma City鈥檚 MVP finalist is getting more comfortable expressing himself. For years, the Canadian star has worked to remain even-keeled, yet he acknowledged he was on edge heading into Game 7. He wanted the Thunder's league-best 68-win regular-season to mean something.
Oklahoma City had lost in the conference semifinals last season after earning the No. 1 seed in the West. And he had another MVP finalist in Nikola Jokic to deal with.
Instead of ignoring or downplaying his feelings, Gilgeous-Alexander embraced them.
鈥淚 was nervous, to be honest, just knowing what鈥檚 on the line,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e worked so hard the whole 82-game season. We鈥檝e all worked so hard in the summer to know if you don鈥檛 bring your A-game, it can all be over with, all for nothing. But I think that nervousness, like, motivated me and helped me play today.鈥�
The Thunder showed some nerves early in Game 7, but they took over in the second quarter.
鈥淥nce I felt the flow of the game and we had the right intentions and the right energy, I knew it would turn around for us,鈥� Gilgeous-Alexander said.
When he was subbed out for good with the Thunder leading 114-76 and 7:40 remaining, he raised his arms to exhort the crowd, then pointed to the small-market franchise's devoted fans in a rare celebratory moment.
鈥淣o team in the league has a home-court advantage like we do,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 all due to them with the T-shirts, the cheering, the screaming, the chants.
"They really give us energy out there. And we鈥檝e been a better team because of them, having them behind us. To know that if we didn鈥檛 bring it tonight, it could be over for them as well wasn鈥檛 fair. We wanted to play for them as well.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
