The crowd at Target Center rode an emotional roller-coaster all evening. One minute they were screaming “Wolves in six,” the next they were standing in shocked silence as the Thunder closed in. The lead swung twelve times, and every swing felt bigger than the last. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped to the line with 6.2 seconds left, the building was humming with nerves. He knocked down both free throws, ice-cold, then slapped his chest as if to say, “We’re not done yet.” A desperate heave from Minnesota clanged off the iron, and the Thunder bench exploded. Fans back in Oklahoma City were already outside banging pots and blowing car horns, celebrating a win that felt half miracle, half mission.
SGA and J-Dub Turn Pressure into Magic
Shai’s box-score line—40 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists—only hints at how steady he was. Every big moment found the ball in his hands. Afterward he told reporters, “Game 3 hurt us, but it also freed us. We stopped worrying and just hooped.” His sidekick, second-year forward Jalen “J-Dub” Williams, was fearless. He drilled six threes, flexed at the Timberwolves bench, and shouted something nobody could quite hear but everyone felt. Even veteran Lu Dort, who scored only eight, locked up Anthony Edwards so tight that Edwards could barely breathe without seeing Dort’s No. 5 jersey. On X (Twitter) one fan gasped, “J-Dub is writing folklore tonight.”
SGA, J-Dub & Chet are ready to close out the Timberwolves after Thunder'... https://t.co/rr8qL0Vwxh @YouTube
— Γ.sαcΩ (@RyoRyo719) May 27, 2025
Over on Instagram, the Thunder posted a slow-motion clip of Shai’s game-winning free throw with the caption “❄️🩶” — it passed 500 k likes in under an hour.
Why This Game Matters for OKC—and the NBA
Oklahoma City hasn’t sniffed the Finals since 2012, back when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were just kids. This new group is younger, cheaper, and somehow already wiser. They play like every possession is a pickup game at the rec center: loose, daring, and ridiculously fun. If they finish the job in Game 5 at Paycom Center, they’ll become the first team ever to reach the Finals with an average age under 25. League-wide, small-market franchises are watching closely. If OKC breaks through, it sends a bold message: patience, player-development, and locker-room chemistry can still beat superstar shopping. No matter who you root for, that’s good for basketball.
Image Source: Sports Illustrated
