Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes the Oklahoma City Thunder can sense the Minnesota Timberwolves breaking under their defensive pressure following a 118-103 Game 2 victory that gave his team a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder star, who scored 38 points with eight assists, said his team feeds off defensive stops to create offensive momentum and psychological advantages over opponents.
"Yeah, you can feel it," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "What happens is you (can) feel us string together stops. That's what's encouraging. And I think that's what's made us really good. Our team really enjoys playing defense, and finds it very fun. And when we score, stop, score, stop — the stops (are) what gets us going. We can play faster. We play confident. And (then) we're out there running and just hooping. Us enjoying getting stops is definitely the key to that."
Thunder Defense Creates Mental Breakdown
The psychological impact of Oklahoma City's defense became evident throughout Game 2, culminating in Jaden McDaniels shoving Gilgeous-Alexander during the fourth quarter with the Thunder leading by 16 points. McDaniels later admitted the frustration foul was intentional.
Minnesota's offensive struggles have been stark against the league's top-ranked defense. The Timberwolves shot just 38.2 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from three-point range through two games, well below their regular season averages of 46.8 and 37.7 percent respectively.
Oklahoma City has converted Minnesota's mistakes into 53 points off turnovers compared to just 20 for the Timberwolves. The Thunder's ability to force errors and capitalize immediately has created the rhythm Gilgeous-Alexander described.
Anthony Edwards responded with 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists but declined media availability after the loss. His silence, combined with visible frustration from teammates like Julius Randle during heated exchanges with Lu Dort, reinforced Gilgeous-Alexander's assessment.
"They're extremely physical. It's a different kind of physicality. But, I mean, they're very connected on the defensive end," Randle said about Oklahoma City's approach.