The San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals on Saturday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
For the most part, the stars delivered. San Antonio had seven players score in double figures, while back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 35 points. Four other Thunder players also scored in double figures — but Chet Holmgren was not among them.
Holmgren turned in arguably the most disappointing performance of anyone on the floor, finishing with just four points and four rebounds in 32 minutes.
To make matters worse, he attempted only two shots the entire game and did not take a single shot in the second half, appearing to completely disappear from the Thunder’s offense.
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His lack of involvement drew criticism throughout the broadcast from Reggie Miller, who was on the call alongside Mike Tirico and Jamal Crawford for NBC.
“He’s the second-best player,” Miller said during the third quarter. “I’m looking for him tonight to get involved — he’s nowhere to be found.”
As Holmgren continued to struggle to make an impact, Miller doubled down in the fourth quarter.
“I mean, he hasn’t even attempted a shot in this second half. You’ve got to be kidding me,” Miller said.
Holmgren put together the best season of his young career, earning both All-Star and All-NBA honors. However, he simply couldn’t find a rhythm in this series, due in large part to the defensive presence of Wembanyama, who seemingly took him out of the equation offensively.
In the end, that proved costly for both Holmgren and Oklahoma City, as the Thunder fell short when it mattered most.
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