The Oklahoma City Thunder are moving on to the NBA Finals after dismantling the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals, with Game 5's 124-94 demolition serving as a microcosm for how the series went. It included another outstanding performance from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who recorded 34 points (with only four free throw attempts!) to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in the blowout.
He was rewarded by being named the Western Conference finals MVP. He also wrote his name into the history books alongside some pretty notable figures, one might say.
As noted by the official NBA History social media account, SGA's Game 5 outing marked his 10th 30-point, five-assist statline of the postseason. He is one of three players to hit those numbers at least 10 times in one playoff run. The other two? Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Not bad company to be in, that's for sure. James accomplished the feat in 2015, 2017, and 2018, while MJ did so in 1989, 1990, and 1992. The fact that two of the greatest playoff performers ever only did it three times each shows how impressive a feat it is.
And Gilgeous-Alexander is far from done, too. He has at least four more postseason games to further make his mark in the NBA's long history. The opponent is not yet known but SGA will next be seen on the court on June 5 in Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Joins Elite Company in NBA History With Game 5 Performance.
