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OKLAHOMA CITY — In the blink of an eye, Alex Caruso went from pouncing on a loose ball while trying to keep his balance to charging toward the rim, directly in the path of Victor Wembanyama, the oxygen and nitrogen in his 6-foot-5 frame replaced with audacity and gall.
Caruso displayed an irrational confidence against the daunting task of taking on the most menacing man in basketball. In the same game, multiple teammates had attempted a similar route but quickly found the nearest exit on Interstate Wembanyama, opting for any detour they could find.
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But Caruso’s self-belief, the swag of a sixth grader with a fresh cut on the first day of school, stretches much farther than his wingspan. On the next possession, Caruso pump-faked like he was darting across the baseline, only to relocate to the corner and drain a triple with Wembanyama in the vicinity. The next play, he chased the Frenchman from the top of the key to the restricted area, latching onto him like a piece of gum, and leaped in the air to deny an entry pass made for a giant. Less than a minute later, Caruso was forced to confront his French fears again, attacking Wembanyama in space before quickly launching a nifty stepback over his outstretched arms. The more ominous or intimidating the challenge looks, the more Caruso’s impact expands.
“It’s how he approaches everything,” head coach Mark Daigneault said following the Thunder’s 122-113 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night. “He’s got an unbelievable focus and is a monster competitor. It seems like the bigger the moment, the bigger the game, the more he wants to compete in it. And he’ll fail and not blink, and he’ll be aggressive in the next possession, next game and he was huge again tonight. His minutes were massive for us.”
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Caruso’s presence as a playoff riser remains an integral component of Oklahoma City’s championship mettle — and a reminder that skill comes in various shapes and sizes. The veteran guard finished with 17 points, 5…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/how-alex-caruso-okcs-agent-of-chaos-dared-to-conquer-victor-wembanyama-and-unleash-the-thunders-elite-depth-050147737.html
Author : Kelly Iko
Publish date : 2026-05-21 05:01:00
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