OKLAHOMA CITY — The polite reaction to what unfolded Wednesday night in America’s heartland would be to salute the Oklahoma City Thunder for reaching the NBA Finals and to gloss over the gory details of how it happened.
This was, after all, a long-awaited coronation for a small-market marvel. Oklahoma City’s 124-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals returned the franchise to the Finals for the first time since 2012 and avenged a heartbreaking West finals loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Thunder owner Clay Bennett and General Manager Sam Presti, who have guided the organization since its controversial relocation from Seattle in 2008, wore proud smiles during a trophy presentation after the series-clinching win at Paycom Center. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s MVP point guard, clasped his hands together to acknowledge the “Loud City” faithful. The other Thunder players bounced with joy to celebrate their latest emphatic victory.
“[My teammates] make the NBA not feel like a job,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have so much fun being out there together. This isn’t the end of the road. We didn’t start the season saying we want to win the West. We want to win the NBA championship. We’re one step closer.”
But telling the full story of the Thunder requires closely examining the Timberwolves, who were reduced to a broken and dysfunctional mess in the series clincher. Knowing that Minnesota’s season was on the line, Oklahoma City played with unforgiving focus from the outset that bordered on sadistic. The Thunder didn’t just beat the Timberwolves, it robbed Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and company of their will to compete. In what was ostensibly a feel-good moment, Oklahoma City was so ruthless it was hard not to come away feeling bad for Minnesota.
Still feeling the pain of a devastating last-second defeat in Game 4, Minnesota showed up Wednesday in body, but not mind or spirit. The Timberwolves were cooked midway through the first quarter, they trailed by 33 points at halftime, and they pulled their starters with more than six minutes left in the game. Fittingly, Edwards didn’t even wait until the final buzzer to offer a congratulatory hug to Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault.
Less than 10 days ago, the Timberwolves swaggered into Oklahoma City fresh off playoff series wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors with the goal of bullying Gilgeous-Alexander and upsetting the top-seeded Thunder. After three blowout losses in cowboy country, the pitiful Timberwolves simply wanted to get out of Dodge.
“[The Thunder] came ready to play and we didn’t,” Edwards said. “When you lose a game like this, there isn’t really too much to break down. They dominated the game from the tip. We lost. I can’t think about how close I might have gotten [to the Finals]. They punched us in the face, and we lost the game and lost the series.”
Gilgeous-Alexander posted 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in just 34 minutes to earn Western Conference finals MVP honors, applying the finishing touches to a series he dominated. Afterward, Gilgeous-Alexander said he wanted to close the series in five games because he “didn’t want to go back to Minnesota travel-wise.” Whether he meant to sound so dismissive or not, Gilgeous-Alexander dispensed with the Timberwolves on the court with a few easy flicks of his wrist.
Though Game 5 featured another heavy dose of Gilgeous-Alexander’s silky shooting, Thunder guard Alex Caruso provided the signature moment. After being knocked to the court by a hard foul from Naz Reid, Caruso cranked out several push-ups on the spot, popped to his feet with an ear-to-ear grin and egged on the home crowd. “Go ahead,” Caruso seemed to be saying. “Hit me again.”
The Timberwolves folded instead. Edwards, harassed by the Thunder’s many skilled perimeter defenders, was just another bystander during the early onslaught. Randle, overwhelmed by the Thunder’s pressure all series, seemed to spend most of Game 5 frantically looking around for the basketball after committing yet another turnover.
Minnesota managed just nine points in the first quarter. By halftime, the Timberwolves still had more turnovers (14) than made baskets (12). Edwards, who compiled most of his 19 points and six rebounds after the game had already been decided, tossed up three air balls on a night to forget.
“[The Thunder is] like 15 puppets on one string,” Edwards said. “They’re super handsy. They pluck at the ball all night. They pressure the ball and get you out of your comfort zone. They’re a really good team. Everyone here knows it. It’s no surprise.”
For the second straight season, the 23-year-old Edwards ended on a down note in the Western Conference finals. The three-time all-star, who was outplayed by Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic last year, averaged 23 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists against the Thunder, but he shot just 28.2 percent on three-pointers and committed 3.2 turnovers per game.
“[Edwards has] got to learn to play against that physicality and that type of holding all the time,” Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch said. “[The Thunder] made it really hard for him. For a lot of the series, he did make the right play. We preach that to him all the time. We need him to be aggressive, for sure. He’s got to find some easier buckets. I’ve got to help him do that. We were never able to establish something consistent with him.”
The Timberwolves weren’t any better defensively. Gilgeous-Alexander got wherever he wanted on the court, dancing past Jaden McDaniels on the perimeter and dicing up Rudy Gobert once he reached the paint. Jalen Williams (19 points, eight rebounds and five assists) and Chet Holmgren (22 points and seven rebounds) encountered little resistance, and the Timberwolves had no interest in making the extra-effort plays that are necessary to win at this late stage of the playoffs.
Worst of all, the Timberwolves died as they lived: incessantly moaning to the officials. While Minnesota lacked the heart to keep up with Oklahoma City for more than five minutes, it somehow found the lung capacity to keep whining deep into the fourth quarter despite a deficit that topped out at 39 points.
These troubling signs — Edwards’s shrinking, Randle’s perpetual confusion, the Timberwolves’ collective persecution complex — are all testaments to the Thunder’s ability to exhaust and chew up opponents.
Oklahoma City’s staggering portfolio will loom ominously in the lead-up to Game 1 of the Finals against the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks on June 5. Across the regular season and postseason, Oklahoma City has an 80-18 record, a 43-7 home record and 61 double-digit victories. During this playoff run, the Thunder has amassed a sparkling plus-10.8 average margin of victory, including four wins by at least 30 points. And don’t forget: Oklahoma City went 29-1 against Eastern Conference teams during the regular season, including sweeps of both the Pacers and Knicks.
Perhaps that’s the only consolation for the Timberwolves: They weren’t the first team to tap out against the Thunder, and they might not be the last.
“We had it all going,” Daigneault said. “The focus through the distraction of a closeout game to go to the Finals is what was most impressive. We were laser focused. That allowed our best to come to the surface. This is such a fun team. We’re happy we’re going to the Finals, but I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to stop coaching this team.”
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