Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co Sent OKC 10 Years Back In Time When Russell Westbrook Pulled Off A Miracle Behind KD’s Back

In an unbelievable comeback, the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied the series with a 100-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks. SGA’s playoff career-high of 34 points helped power Oklahoma to a crucial win tonight. Despite not receiving much offensive help from his teammates, Gilgeous-Alexander ensured to grab at the momentum and not let go.

Behind Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren’s clutch three-pointers, the OKC rallied to overcome the Mavericks’ defense. Watching a must-win Game 4 tonight had many Thunder fans transported back a decade. Kevin Durant was playing for Oklahoma and it was at the time a popular meme became viral. It was of KD sitting back-turned as Russell Westbrook was draining his three free throws.

The OKC Thunder beat writer, Brandon Rahbar, tweeted the nostalgic moment. “May 13, 2014: Russell Westbrook hit 3 free throws while KD famously sat back-turned on the other end of the court to beat the Clippers 105-104 in a wild, improbable Game 5 comeback. Exactly 10 years later, the new era Thunder pull off a big must-win Game 4 comeback.”

Durant later explained why he did not watch Russ drain his shots. “I just think I’m bad luck,” he had said in an interview. Apparently, this bad luck follows him outside of the basketball court as well. Be it his favorite NFL team or alma mater, whenever he is on the sidelines, they lose. The poor guy has to turn his head at the time.

Keeping the bad luck aside, the ‘Slim Reaper’ is anything but. KD’s resume details his HoF-worthy achievements. Not to mention, his off-court investments and businesses do not seem to suffer from this apparent bad luck. But that was a 25-year-old Kevin Durant playing his heart out for the team that drafted him as the second pick. So, if it meant turning his back to not let his “bad luck” affect his team, that was what he would do. In fact, he continued it for the entire season.

It seems like that is another similarity the current Thunder team shares with KD-Westbrook-led OKC.

Kevin Durant’s two cents on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co.

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the No.1 seed in the West with a 57-25 record, the second-best in the league, this season. The whole team simply rammed into every opponent behind new dad Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, regardless of the results. While they were spectacular in the regular season, many were sure they wouldn’t last long in the playoffs. And why wouldn’t they think so?

The average age of OKC’s starters falls to 22.6. Coach Mark Daigneault, as exceptional as he has been, has never led a team in the playoffs. So why would anyone place their bets on such a team? Durant has the answer to it, citing his own example as a young basketball player trying to lead their team to a title. “We never really listened to the noise,” he said, referring to everything from the terrible comments to the negative takes and analysis of basketball pundits.

“Just went out there and played. Played with intensity. I think that makes up for a lot of stuff. That’s what [this Thunder team] does. They play with energy, force and intensity for 48 minutes. Even with a lack of experience that can help you in many different areas, just playing hard. I think that is what we did back in the day too,” the 2014 MVP said ahead of the playoffs.

He couldn’t have been more right! When Coach Daigneault was asked about the poise that his young squad displayed against the Mavericks after the Game 1 victory, he had a simple answer. “It’s a muscle we’ve built at this point.” This muscle between the coach and players came from trust. That was something Durant also pointed out.

“It is the trust … When you get that trust from your coach to just go out there and play your game regardless of mistakes I think you will see guys buy-in so it has been that way since day one,” the 14x All-Star pointed out. The results definitely prove the 2x champion’s statements.

Dallas will be visiting the Thunder at Paycom Center for Game 5. Luka Doncic and Co. will hope to break the tie in their favor, of course. But they would do well to heed Kyrie Irving’s advice. The 8x All-Star said that it was imperative to put together a complete team against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. after their Game 1 defeat.

Here’s to hoping the Mavs will escape unscathed in Oklahoma City.