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OKLAHOMA CITY — Around 90 minutes before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s record of consecutive 20-plus-point games, the Thunder guard is out on the floor with a few staffers working over defensive coverages.
There’s a certain elegance to how effortlessly the reigning regular season and Finals MVP glides around during his pregame warmup, but also an element of humor watching a low-level assistant attempt to masquerade as an NBA-level defender. Like clockwork, Gilgeous-Alexander moves from zone to zone, disseminating the defense being shown and manipulating it to his benefit in record efficiency.
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It’s almost cruelty deploying a 9-to-5 working adult against one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, but the same could be said of the plethora of Gilgeous-Alexander’s peers that have tried — and ultimately failed — slowing him down.
“Over the years I’ve just built my game and seen defenses,” Gilgeous-Alexander said following his 35-point, 9-assist and 6-rebound performance in Thursday’s 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics. “And I just attack the defenses with the tools that I have. It feels like each year I get better and better at doing so. And I think that’s the reason; I just see coverages, learn from them, try to get better and apply them when I can.”
(As much as the focus will be on SGA’s historic night, Thursday night was a thrilling contest featuring Jaylen Brown, who finished with 34 points at the other end. This wasn’t an ethically pleasing display of hoops — there were 62 missed 3s and 36 fouls across both teams — but watching both Brown and Gilgeous-Alexander exchange buckets down the stretch, combined with the tactical battles, provided an epic night of playoff-ish basketball.)
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The beauty of Gilgeous-Alexander’s night was multi-layered, displaying the beauty of both the individual and the collective. The 27-year-old, much like any other night, didn’t seem solely interested in chasing greatness or forcing the issue, with the understanding that his approach to the game, and the growth of his teammates combined with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/inside-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-record-breaking-night–the-beauty-elegance-and-sheer-joy-of-his-game-071213375.html
Author : Kelly Iko
Publish date : 2026-03-13 07:12:00
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