Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops ultimate compliment on Celtics at OKC clinch playoff spot

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives ultimate compliment to Celtics for clinching playoff spot in OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder won 118-112 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. With this result, the Thunder have already secured a playoff spot and they are still ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 54 wins and 12 losses.

In their previous five games, the Thunder had beaten many of the top teams in the Western Conference, including the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets — but lost to the Nuggets in their last game.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the best player against the Celtics after recording 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes. That means Alexander has scored 30 points or more and dished out at least seven assists in four of the Thunder’s last five games.

But it wasn’t his points or his hot personal form that made the Canadian happy after the game. What matters most to Alexander is that the Thunder beat the defending champions and secure a playoff spot.

For Alexander, “there is no better test than the NBA”

“It means a lot. Because the Celtics did it, because they did what we wanted to do, it’s always more exciting to play against them,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in his postgame press conference.

“They’re always going to be more exciting. Like I said, they accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, and there’s no better test in the NBA,” he added.

What made the win even more special was that Alexander and his team had swept both series against Boston this season.

“You play at the end of June and the other team wins at the end of June. So it’s always fun to play them, it’s always a big challenge, and we get to test ourselves against them. I think we’ve passed two tests so far,” he explained.

The Thunder are recovering from last season’s slump

But the 26-year-old isn’t ready to think too far ahead. He believes that whether or not the Thunder can reach a championship-level level, they still have a long way to go to achieve their goals this season.

The Thunder have been having a good season so far, leading the Western Conference and still seeking their first NBA title.

Last season, they also topped the Western Conference standings but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.

This season could be even more special for Alexander.

This season may be even more special for Alexander personally, as he remains the frontrunner for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

He’s averaging 32.8 points, 6.2 assists and shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Alexander also leads the NBA in points and free throws per game. He also scored more than 20 points in 60 consecutive games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the seventh player in history to score 20 or more points in 60 consecutive games in a season. The other three are:

Kevin Durant (64, 2015-16)
Kobe Bryant (62, 2005-06)
Michael Jordan (69, 1990-91)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (62, 1971-72)