No jet lag for Oklahoma: Thunder crush Minnesota

You can’t win against the best team in the league by only playing one half of basketball. That’s the lesson the Minnesota Timberwolves will have to learn after Game 1 of the series. Oklahoma celebrated a 114–88 victory and convincingly took a 1–0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, despite having played Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets just 36 hours earlier. It was only at the start of the game that the Thunder showed any signs of fatigue. The visitors opened the game with an 8–0 run, but their lead didn’t last long. Mark Daigneault’s squad quickly bounced back and stayed close to the hot-shooting Timberwolves throughout the first half.

It's time for the ultimate NBA showdown and eighth different champion in a row

It seemed like Minnesota had what it takes to compete with — and even beat — Oklahoma. But that wasn’t the case, as the Thunder won the third quarter 32–18. They tightened up their defense, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle couldn’t buy a basket, and by the start of the final quarter it was clear the visitors weren’t going to steal a win. Even though the score doesn’t show it, this could still turn out to be — and likely will be — a very interesting series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points (11-of-14 from the free throw line), but the way he plays basketball doesn’t sit well with someone like Edwards. Just three minutes into the game, the Canadian started flopping, and after one theatrical fall and an easily drawn foul, Edwards threw the ball at Shai, who took an absurd seven free throws in the first five minutes. Jaden McDaniels was tasked with guarding Gilgeous-Alexander and ended up fouling out with six fouls — at least half of which were questionable.

It’s truly unheard of to see someone disrupt the game under the basket like this. James Harden and Joel Embiid are known for hunting free throws, but they did it by exploiting loopholes in the rulebook. They were frustrating and tough to watch, but the issue was with the rules (which were later changed), not them. Shai just throws himself to the floor. That kind of basketball is hard to watch, the game drags on forever, and it puts viewers to sleep — no matter how much they love playoff basketball. The Canadian will likely win MVP, and deservedly so, but it seems like the NBA will have to look into the rules once again. As for the other players, Jalen Williams scored 19, Chet Holmgren added 15, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 12. For Minnesota, Randle stood out with 28 points, Edwards added 18, and no one else scored in double figures. Someone will have to step up offensively if the Wolves want to do anything in this series. Game 2 is scheduled for the night between Thursday and Friday (2:30 AM, TV Arenasport), with Oklahoma again hosting. Edwards tried to be aggressive with Shai in Game 1 — in the second matchup, he’ll have to be even more physical.