The Dallas Mavericks have done it! Despite the best efforts by Oklahoma City Thunder to keep up with them, the franchise recently recorded their 4 Semifinal win. They will now head to the Western Conference Finals for the 2 time in over 13 years. While he created NBA history during the recent matchup, OKC lead scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unfortunately not able to propel his team to the next stage. To his credit, the player did not shy away from taking responsibility for making certain mistakes that may have altered the course of the matchup.

During the post-game presser, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the foul call that was made against him during the final 2.1 seconds of the game. OKC Head coach Mark Daigneault had reportedly challenged the call with the belief that his player made contact with the ball before grazing the forearm of rival P.J. Washington. However, Gilgeous-Alexander took responsibility by stating “I shouldn’t have fouled him.”

“We talked about it all year, the little things that go into winning games and being disciplined” said the 25-year-old point guard. “Obviously, if I had the moment back, I wouldn’t have fouled him and just let him miss the shot”. When asked if he received the chance to look at the replay to confirm whether he was the one in the wrong or not, Gilgeous-Alexander said with a neutral expression, “I don’t want to look at it”.

During his 43 minutes on the court, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured a score of 36 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists. His points total was the highest he had made since he recorded 40 points back in early April. This was made possible by his 14-25 field goals, 4-5 three pointers, and 4-7 free throws. This contribution, combined with the one made by Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, helped OKC to stay neck-to-neck during the game. With just 2.1 seconds left, the team was up by 1 point. However, it was then that Gilgeous-Alexander made contact with P.J. Washington while attempting a leaping block. As a result, a foul call was made. The Mavericks made use of one successful free throw to gain an advantage. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Game 6 could have been another example of the continuing offensive prowess of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead, his feat was overshadowed by a small, unintentional mistake that ended up changing the entire course of the matchup.

Luka Doncic praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for being “amazing with the way he plays”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may not have won the crucial matchup. However, he did win the hearts of many with his performance. After all, one mistake shouldn’t stand in front of the overall MVP-worthy contribution that the player made from the beginning of the tournament till his team’s recent elimination. No one seemed to be more in awe of how the player and the OKC roster performed than the lead scorer of their rival team: Luka Doncic.

In the aftermath of the game, the Slovenian player engaged in a Q&A session with ESPN anchor Cassidy Hubbarth. During the same, when asked about his thoughts on the Conference Finals, Doncic replied that both the Nuggets and the Timberwolves will end up being tough competitors. However, that shouldn’t diminish the fact that he and the Mavericks just defeated another hard franchise.

“Big respect to OKC, they have an amazing team. They’re very young but they seem very experienced,” said Doncic. “Obviously, Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is amazing with the way he plays.”

What were your thoughts on OKC’s leading scorer’s performance? Let us know in the comments down below.