Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has proved to be a superstar

The Oklahoma City Thunder have advanced to the final game of the NBA Play-In Tournament after downing the New Orleans Pelicans, the OKC Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, now advance to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves for the right to move onto the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

In a win-or-go-home against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Oklahoma City Thunder stayed composed and earned a massive road win in the NBA Postseason. In that game, because of his slow start, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed the world why he is a Superstar.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a superstar on their hands with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that is clear after the win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The OKC Thunder saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score seven points in the first half while shooting 30 percent from the floor and 1-for-4 from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander made an impact with his three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. But, ultimately, Herb Jones and the Pelicans’ defense frustrated the star guard for the fifth straight game this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who usually scores ten points in the first quarter, was held to seven at the break. But, instead of coming out of intermission flustered and making the matchup personal, SGA continued to play his game.

How often do you see a superstar gets handcuffed in the first half, then jack up shots and let his ego get in the way in the second half, out to prove he is better than his matchup? That was not the case for SGA.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to play his style of basketball, trust his teammates, and a good blend of isolation takeover and reading the defense. That resulted in 25 second-half points, a steal, an assist, and two rebounds. In addition, the max contract guard shot 66 percent in the second half from the floor, was 1-for-1 from beyond the arc, and was perfect at the charity stripe on eight attempts.

For as frustrating as the first half felt for the OKC Thunder star, when the final buzzer sounds and you check the box scorer, he finished with 32 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block while shooting a jaw-dropping 50-percent from the floor in a do-or-die game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to show that he is a Superstar in this league. Now, he has another shot to prove it in a close-out game and get the tenth seed in the Western Conference to the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in league history.