Thunder's Big Win Over Celtics! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Scores 33+11, Doc Rivers' Prediction Comes True, Clippers Shouldn't Have Traded 9 for 1
The Thunder and the Celtics had a fierce battle, with the Thunder ultimately achieving a great comeback victory, winning 105-92. In their next game, the Thunder will face the Cavaliers, who are currently first in the East, which could be a preview of the finals. The Thunder, currently first in the West, have won 15 consecutive games and are leading by a wide margin. The Cavaliers have also won 10 straight games and are far ahead in the East. The Thunder have a record of 30 wins and 5 losses, while the Cavaliers have 31 wins and 4 losses. If the Thunder win their next game, they will have the same record as the Cavaliers. If they lose, the Cavaliers will solidify their position as the top team in the league.
This 15-game winning streak is also the longest in Thunder history, surpassing the record from the SuperSonics era. In this game, the Celtics once held an advantage because they had their strongest lineup. The Celtics lined up a formidable starting five of Holiday, White, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis, with Horford on the bench. The Thunder, on the other hand, stuck to their regular starting lineup, with Alexander and Wallace in the backcourt, Dort on the wing, and Giddey and Hartenstein in the frontcourt.
The Celtics, who play with a "Moreyball" system, were indeed unstoppable when their shooting was hot. In the first quarter, the Celtics went on a shooting spree from beyond the arc, with Jaylen Brown and Porzingis attacking the paint, and White and Tatum firing three-pointers, quickly opening up a lead. The Thunder relied on Alexander's scoring to stay in the game, trailing by 3 points at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Celtics' Moreyball tactics became even more effective, with Porzingis, Brown, and White raining down shots, giving the Celtics a 12-point lead. The Thunder could only rely on Alexander to chip away at the deficit, trailing by 10 points at halftime.
In the second half, the Celtics continued with their Moreyball approach, but the Thunder's defense remained relentless, waiting for the Celtics' shooting percentage to drop. From the Celtics leading by 11 points to being chased down to a 4-point lead, their three-point shooting percentage was a meager 1 out of 13. This is reminiscent of the 2018 Rockets vs Warriors Game 7, where the Rockets missed 27 three-point attempts. The Celtics are now also heavily reliant on three-point shooting, resulting in the Thunder overtaking them in the fourth quarter. However, the Celtics' strategy was to keep shooting, and they finally stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer from Horford.
After Horford's three-pointer, the Celtics became even more convinced of jump shots, but they were slowly pulled apart by the Thunder to a 9-point gap. In the end, Tatum hit a three-pointer, but it was too late, as Dort and Alexander scored 12 points in a row to seal the game. It's worth noting that Moreyball has caused significant harm to the Celtics when their three-point shots don't go in. In the second half, the Celtics only scored 27 points, with 15 in the third quarter and just 12 in the fourth. For the Celtics, Tatum scored 26 points, Brown 21, Porzingis 19, Holiday 2, and White 11.
On the Thunder side, Alexander was still impressive, scoring 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Hartenstein, against Porzingis, got 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks, while Giddey scored 10 points, which was average. Overall, the Thunder today still relied on Alexander to lead the charge and played good defense to win the game. Alexander is truly the best move in Thunder history. In January, Alexander has already scored 30 points three times, including one game with 29 points. He scored 40 points, 33 points, and 33 points in those games. Now, the Clippers must regret trading Alexander, especially since they did not listen to Doc Rivers' advice, particularly regarding Leonard.
Leonard wanted to join the Clippers in 2019 but insisted the team acquire George; otherwise, he would go to the Lakers. Rivers discussed this matter in December 2023, confirming it was true. Leonard wanted the Clippers to get George, and Rivers advised him that Alexander would become a better player than George in 1-2 seasons. However, Leonard said if you can't get A (George), then I'll go to B (Lakers). As a result, the Clippers traded Alexander, Gallinari, the 2021 Heat first-round pick, the 2022 Clippers pick, the 2023 Heat pick, the 2023 Clippers swap, the 2024 Clippers first-round pick, the 2025 swap, and the 2026 first-round pick, totaling a 9-for-1 trade. If Leonard hadn't demanded George, then the combination of Alexander and Leonard, with the Clippers using these draft picks to acquire Harden, might have already won them a championship.