Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just received his second NBA MVP award after winning his first last year, and the Oklahoma City Thunder ace is already facing one of the biggest games of his career on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.
When asked after Game 1 of the Western Conference final whether SGA’s MVP award propelled him to prove he’s actually the better player, Victor Wembanyama didn’t hold back and said it did.
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Wembanyama was a contender for the MVP award. Still, due to his consistency and leading the Thunder to another remarkable regular-season finish, Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the back-to-back honor of league MVP.
At home after receiving that award, Gilgeous-Alexander watched as Wembanyama dominated the game from both ends of the court, while he continued his inconsistent form in this year’s playoffs.
Wembanyama put up 41 points and 22 rebounds, dictating the pace of the game. Gilgeous-Alexander went 7-23 from the field in Game 1, needing defensive specialist Alex Caruso to have one of his best games ever offensively to push a Spurs team missing De’Aaron Fox to the limit.
More news: Victor Wembanyama Is the Best Basketball Player in the World — Sorry SGA
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While going down 0-2 isn’t a true death knell for the Thunder, for the reigning MVP, it could be legacy-defining.
Everything seemed set up for the Thunder to win back-to-back championships and begin the first true NBA dynasty since the Golden State Warriors a decade ago. But right as they started building the wall to this new empire, a 7-foot-4 titan reached over and started knocking down the buildings inside.
In Game 1, Wembanyama knocked down Gilgeous-Alexander. That’s OK. But if he gets up in Game 2 and the Spurs, behind another classic Wembanyama performance, take both games in Oklahoma City and knock down the reigning MVP again, narratives will begin to be spun.
The greatest players in the long, illustrious history of the NBA answer the bell after an inadequate performance.
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Wednesday won’t answer if the Oklahoma City superstar is one of those players, but it’ll definitely give us an idea.
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