It was a Game 2 that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t afford to lose.
After Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs came into the defending champion’s building to begin the Western Conference finals with a win, the back-to-back MVP needed to play at his best if the Thunder wanted to continue their run towards a repeat.
Gilgeous-Alexander did just that on Wednesday, scoring 30 points out of 12-24 shooting with nine assists to tie up the series and continue on to Texas, where the next leg of the seven-game series will commence.
But the MVP’s play isn’t what fans are talking about after the win: it’s his postgame interview.
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In one of the strangest playoff interviews you’ll see, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the impact of Isaiah Hartenstein taking over defensive duties on the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama after the Spurs ace torched the Thunder for 41 points in Game 1.
Hartenstein played an aggressive, effective defense, yet Gilgeous-Alexander, straight-faced, disagreed on live television.
“I’m not sure if it was good, to be honest,” he said.
NBC’s Zora Stephenson then asked to elaborate.
“It was alright,” he replied. “It was good. It was good.”
Although it seemed as if the reigning MVP was trying for deadpan humor that didn’t necessarily work, the internet remained flummoxed by what they had just witnessed.
Later in the night, however, during a later press conference, Gilgeous-Alexander clarified the awkward moment.
“I didn’t really hear,” he said. “Then, when I realized what she said, I gave her the right answer.”
The Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to see if Hartenstein can slow down Wembanyama heading into Game 3 on Friday from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
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