The Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to take a 3-1 series lead. The Thunder had to properly execute a number of late-game situations to prevent a Minnesota comeback, including MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander throwing the ball down the floor in the final seconds to try to run out the clock.
And he would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for the meddling fans. SGA's final pass of the game was caught by someone courtside, which allowed the Timberwolves one last inbounds pass. If he hadn't cuaght the ball the clock probably would have expired right then and there. Even SGA had to give it up to the fan, telling him he was "smart" as he pointed at his head.
Here's video of SGA complimenting the fan, as posted on ESPN's TikTok.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander points at the fan who grabbed the ball in the final seconds and calls him "smart". pic.twitter.com/xZmCnHFWCc
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 27, 2025
High praise from the MVP.
Of course, the real star of this entire situation was Doris Burke, who wondered if the fan was "breaking the plane" when he made the catch, which briefly introduced the idea that referees might for the first time in history use replay to determine if a fan was in or out of bounds.
Fan made sure Wolves had time at end of game 😂 pic.twitter.com/koShWCpKjG
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) May 27, 2025
Between this and the Jon Hamm situation at the Knicks-Pacers game last week, there's a non-zero chance the NBA has to discuss adding specific language in the rulebook about what constitutes a legal catch by a spectator.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cameras Caught Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Telling Fan Who Caught His Pass He Was ‘Smart'.
