OKLAHOMA CITY (USA) – The time has arrived for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder to rule the NBA.
Or at least, they have never been as impressive as they have been so far this season. The Thunder have as good a chance as any team to win the championship—perhaps even better than most. Right now, their momentum is strong, with seven wins in their last seven games.
And Canada’s leader, Shai, has been nothing short of special. There isn’t a tougher player to stop from getting to the basket. In two weeks, between January 23 and February 6, the NBA leading scorer recorded three games with at least 50 points:
54 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against Utah on Jan 23
52 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists against Golden State on Jan 30
50 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against Phoenix on Feb 6
A title would be a first for the Thunder, a first for MVP candidate Gilgeous-Alexander, and a first for his fellow Canada national team star, Lu Dort.
A championship run has been in the making for a few years.
After spearheading Canada's run to the podium at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Manila and being named to the All-Star Five, SGA returned to the NBA and finished second in the MVP voting to Nikola Jokic.
The Thunder point guard averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game as Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is pouring in a career-high and league leading 32.6 points per contest and the Thunder now find themselves with the best record in the NBA at 44-9.
The Canada influence is huge for Oklahoma City.
SGA's moves are outrageous. They are filthy.
He's so shifty, so tricky, that the man trying to guard him often goes one way while he goes the other.
Dort, meanwhile, remains an integral part of the Thunder.
In his sixth season with the team like Gilgeous-Alexander, he is shooting a career-best 42 percent from 3-point range, having nailed 107 of his 255 attempts, while averaging around 10.0 points per game.
It's his defensive instincts and ability to guard that make him invaluable to the Thunder.
It's true that Canadian basketball fans are doubly excited about OKC's prospects because Dort is on the team, too.
Fans of FIBA ball have flashbacks to Gilgeous-Alexander in the Canada jersey when they see him in dazzling form for the Thunder.
In 2023, SGA kickstarted his World Cup campaign with 27-point master-classes against France and Latvia in the First Round, and then had 30 in a vital Second Round victory over Spain.
In the knockout round, he poured in 31 in a Quarter-Final triumph over Luka Doncic and Slovenia and signed off with 31 in a Third-Place Game win over USA. That result put Canada on the World Cup podium for the first time.
As one of the top two teams from the Americas at the World Cup, Canada qualified for the Olympics, ending a drought that dated back to Sydney 2000, when Steve Nash was the floor general and Gilgeous-Alexander was just 2!
At last year's Olympic Games in France, Gilgeous-Alexander was third overall in scoring at 21.0 points per game. He shot 60.5 percent (23 of 38) inside the arc. Canada caught France at the wrong time, though, just as the hosts began to hit their stride, in the Quarter-Finals and lost. They ended up fifth, albeit in arguably the toughest Olympic competition of all time.
Canada's Thunder stars walked off the hardwood in Bercy down, but not out. There is no doubt about their presence at the next World Cup and Olympics.
I love the game of basketball and I love representing my country
"Oh yeah," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I love the game of basketball and I love representing my country."
Despite his team's Quarter-Final heartbreak, Gilgeous-Alexander was so good in Paris that he made the All-Star Five Second Team.
Dort is equally enthusiastic about playing for Canada.
"I'm always proud to wear my country on my chest," he said. "It was a great experience. It's been a long time since Canada made it to (the Olympics in men’s basketball), so I'd be happy to do it again."
What about the Thunder? What do they get out of having their players competing at World Cups and Olympics? Will this make a difference the next time Oklahoma City finds itself in a tough Western Conference play-off series, or in the NBA Finals?
When they link up with the national team, they stay in shape, and sharp overall. They face the best players other countries.
After Canada's run to the World Cup podium, Thunder GM Sam Presti said of Gilgeous-Alexander: "I think playing in those games is huge. And he's going to come back a better player."
There is no debate that Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are better players after their last two summers with Canada. That elite level international experience will be pivotal for a Thunder team that could be closing in on title glory.
FIBA