The Oklahoma City Thunder completely dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, to win the Western Conference Finals in a five-of-seven game series. They now advance to the NBA finals. This was not just an amazing feat for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the team, but OKC’s first NBA finals appearances since 2012, the fifth time overall for the franchise.
Emerging tall, mighty, and victorious was Shai, winning the Magic Johnson Western Conference MVP trophy after the game. He received all nine votes coming in from the media panel. Shai’s father was in the crowd, who could not help but be proud of his son’s achievements.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Father Winning Hearts With the MVP Trophy
Unsurprisingly, SGA was named the Western Conference MVP. In a heartwarming moment after winning the trophy, Shai was celebrating with his father on the court, posing for the media alongside him.
His father couldn’t help but hold on to that trophy ever so tightly. Looking at this, Shai humorously remarked, “You acting like it’s yours”, to his father. And then, his father attempts to hide the trophy under his sweatshirt, and both burst into laughter.
The wholesome moment has come to steal millions of hearts on the internet.
“You actin’ like it’s yours.” 😂
SGA and his dad with the WCF MVP trophy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xF3pbZavd2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 29, 2025
SGA completely dominated in the paint. He finished Game 5 with 34 points on 56%, i.e. 14-of-25 shooting from the floor. He also managed to put 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the 34 minutes he was on the court.
He was already averaging 32.7 points in the regular season, along with 5 rebounds nd 6.4 assists. He sustained his momentum well into the Conference Finals as well, leading OKC to become the first seed in the West. The team went 68-14 in the regular season.
Regardless of the “free throw merchant” and “foul baiter” chants against him, he’s managed to win the NBA MVP and WCF MVP all through his grit and passion. So far, he’s only struggled in Game 3 of the Conference Finals, when Anthony Edwards and Minnesota took the lead in a 42-point blowout. In that game, SGA only played for 28 minutes, still leading the team with 14 points.
OKC Thunder’s Road to the NBA Finals
OKC’s road to the NBA Finals finished paving in Game 5 of the WCF, with Shai finishing gloriously.
Now, the OKC will host Game 1 of the NBA Finals against either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers on June 5, 2025.
Game 5’s outcome was pretty evident already, as the Thunder managed to run past the Timberwolves with their stifling defense and great teamwork by SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. They put the game away pretty quickly, leading by 17 points at the end of the first quarter, and then by 33 points at halftime. SGA had outscored the entire Timberwolves’ team in the first quarter itself with 12-9.
After the T-wolves scored the first basket in the game, SGA handed in all five of OKC’s baskets in an 11-0 run, starting the Thunder’s blowout. It was during that stretch that Shai got four of his assists, three on Holmgren’s buckets.
MORE: 2025 NBA Mock Draft Following Shocking Lottery Results
Minnesota struggled on the offensive end, going 1-for-11 from the first in roughly the first five minutes of the game. They had more turnovers in the first half, at 14, than they had field goals (12). Overall, they had 21 turnovers. Holmgren gathered 22 points, 7 rebounds, while Jalen Williams had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
On the Timberwolves’ end, Anthony Edwards scored 19 on 7-of-18 shooting, while Julius Randle led the team with 24 points.
