Thunder Seal Playoff Berth With Win Over Celtics: 'Nothing Beats the Test'

BOSTON -- The Oklahoma City Thunder sealed their spot in the playoffs Wednesday evening.

However, just making it back to the playoffs following last season's devastating loss to the Dallas Mavericks In six games during the Western Conference semifinals, the team falls short of its ultimate aim. Rather, the Thunder are focused on securing an even greater objective: clinching their first-ever NBA championship for the franchise.

Instead of securing that playoff spot, what was crucial for Thunder guard and leading contender for the NBA MVP was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Was that achieved by defeating the current champion? Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

By doing this, they achieved a clean sweep of the two-game season series against Boston and delivered their strongest statement to date regarding the ambitions of Gilgeous-Alexander and the entire Thunder team moving forward in the coming months.

"It's massive," Gilgeous-Alexander commented about it. 118-112 win After scoring 34 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists in 39 minutes of play, "[The Celtics have] accomplished what we aim to achieve, which makes every game against them particularly intense. These matchups are always more thrilling. As mentioned, they reached the heights we aspire to conquer, and there’s no tougher challenge in the NBA."

You're scheduled to perform in late June, and the opposing team also claimed victory during late June. Competing against them is consistently enjoyable yet incredibly challenging, serving as an opportunity for us to measure our capabilities against theirs. Up until now, we've managed to pass two such challenges.

The Thunder not only excelled in those tests but also emerged victorious in both matchups against the Celtics despite resting some crucial players. In January, it was the forward who stood out. Chet Holmgren Who was observing from the sidelines due to a hip injury dressed in streetwear returned to action for Oklahoma City on Wednesday evening, contributing significantly with 23 points and 15 rebounds. The All-Star also made notable contributions during this game. Jalen Williams returned home tending to a hip injury sustained during Monday's defeat Denver .

However, Oklahoma City surmounted both him and Alex Caruso 's absence mirrored what happened during their previous matchup two months earlier. In that game, Boston had difficulties in the second half, scoring only 8 out of 40 shots from the field and making just 3 out of 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

In this game, the Celtics, who played sans Kristaps Porzingis (Illness) had scorching performances within the 2-point zone — they hit an impressive 15 out of 19 attempts near the basket during the second half, all of which came from layups and dunks in the painted area — however, their accuracy dropped significantly as they only managed to score 20 points out of 63 tries beyond the arc.

These 63 attempts at three-pointers tie for the third highest number of such shots tried in a single game by any team in NBA history.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla remarked, 'We had some fantastic shots,' adding, 'That’s simply the framework of their defense. They prioritize protecting the painted area initially. The players compete hard; they attempt to contest drives. Their 2-on-1 decision-making was quite impressive too. In my view, we created pretty solid opportunities for much of the match.'

The statistics confirm this. Based on Second Spectrum's tracking information, Boston took 47 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, which stands as their second highest total for such shots in a single game since team records began.

During the initial period, Boston managed to score 11 out of 27 times from these particular shots. However, in the subsequent segment, they only hit 4 out of every 20 attempts, ultimately falling short by 21 percent compared to what would have been anticipated for their field goal success rate on such plays.

On Monday against the Nuggets, Oklahoma City’s performance from beyond the arc exceeded their anticipated field goal percentage by 20%, according to research. This is why Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault mentioned that even though his team had an impressive beginning from three-point range, he advised them to continue following the established strategy.

We have this knack for staying steady and avoiding overreactions or getting jittery... that’s typically when we run into problems," Daigneault stated. "I simply felt that our team’s maturity and adherence to the strategy throughout the highs and lows of such an intense 48-minute match was quite encouraging tonight.

Thus went the performance of Holmgren. In the absence of Williams, all eyes were on how the Thunder would handle the time Gilgeous-Alexander spent sitting out. To address this, they opted for a big-man duo lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein And with Holmgren leading the way, Oklahoma City managed to secure a victory by three points during the nine minutes Gilgeous-Alexander was absent. This win can be attributed significantly to Holmgren’s outstanding performance, marking his highest scoring game since he returned from his hip injury earlier this month.

Chet performed exceptionally well tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander stated. "He was remarkable. As the games progress, we'll witness his increasing comfort level, but he was truly outstanding.

He simply played his game, allowing the game to unfold naturally, and that’s what defines Chet Holmgren. That has always been his essence, even prior to the injury.

Boston's Jayson Tatum put on a remarkable performance, scoring 33 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing out 8 assists, however, his teammate was the real standout, Jaylen Brown It never really took off. Brown ended up 5-for-15 overall, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, and had to leave the game due to foul trouble with over three minutes left, finishing with just 10 points.

He attributed Oklahoma City's defense for disrupting his flow.

Strong teams set the standards," Brown stated. "The competition displayed a high degree of toughness this evening, which I believe was superior to mine. While I managed to find my rhythm at times, overall, I failed to match their physical presence. Additionally, not getting any foul shots is uncommon for me.

The Boston team left their venue on Wednesday evening aware that should they meet the Oklahoma City squad again in the upcoming NBA Finals, they will have to contend with subpar shooting during the latter stages of games, as evidenced by their two recent defeats.

However, whenGilgeous-Alexander was questioned multiple times regardingwhether theThunderwere performingat a championship caliber presently, he statedthey stillhavea considerabledistance towinthestandards theysetfor theseason. As forTatum,hedoesn’tlose sleepponderingthe standingofBoston.

He mentioned, 'Everyone needs to improve slightly,' adding, 'Focus on the small details at the edges. When competing against strong teams that won’t self-destruct, ensure you secure the extra possession, avoid fouling jump shooters as the timer winds down, minimize live-ball turnovers—basically, aim to excel in these minor aspects.'

We all do. And we shall.