Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, after closing out the Western Conference Finals series against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1, with a dominant 124-94 victory in Game 5.<\/p>
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Once again, Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried his team on his shoulders, scoring 32 points along with 7 rebounds and 8 assists, further proving his worthiness of this season's MVP award. He was the key reason behind Oklahoma City's triumph in the series and their qualification to the Finals for the first time in 13 years, when they lost to the Miami Heat.<\/p>
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Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the first quarter, during which the Timberwolves posted their lowest offensive output of the season (9 points), making just three of their 20 shot attempts, including one three-pointer from nine tries. The gap between the two teams eventually reached 39 points before settling at 30 by the final whistle.<\/p>
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The Canadian now has a chance to become the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to lead the league in scoring and win the title in the same season. He stated: \"It\u2019s a step in the right direction, but we know there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on. We have to prepare. There\u2019s a lot of work ahead of us to reach the ultimate goal, and making the Finals isn\u2019t the main goal, for sure.\"<\/p>
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Chet Holmgren also stood out again, scoring 22 points, while Jalen Williams added 19, continuing to provide their usual offensive support for this outstanding team effort.<\/p>
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Holmgren said: \"We\u2019ve got 17 guys on this team, and we\u2019re going to give it everything we have in every game, whether it's close or not,\" adding: \"Reaching the Finals is a step on our journey, so we\u2019re not done yet.\"<\/p>
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Williams added: \"We\u2019ve had our ups and downs throughout the season, and that brought us closer together. We were able to build strong relationships and improve, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re here now,\" stressing: \"We still have a job to finish, but it\u2019s really exciting.\"<\/p>
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Oklahoma City Thunder have now become the youngest team by average age (25.6 years) to reach the NBA Finals since Portland in 1977, ending Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 dream of making their first-ever championship appearance. Minnesota fell in the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons and the third time in their history (losing in 2004 to the Los Angeles Lakers and in 2024 to the Dallas Mavericks).<\/p>
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The Thunder confirmed that finishing the regular season with the best record in both conferences (68 wins and 14 losses) was well-deserved, and they will be strong favorites to win the title regardless of who emerges from the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>
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Coach Mark Daigneault praised his team, saying: \"These players are exceptional. They do everything the right way. They\u2019re professionals. They have strong character. They\u2019re competitive, and most importantly, they put the team first.\"<\/p>
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He continued after the game, which his team controlled from the start\u2014ending the first quarter 26-9 and going into halftime with a 33-point lead at 65-32: \"We kept our foot on the gas for 48 minutes. The pace we set from the beginning of the game was really strong.\"<\/p>
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Minnesota\u2019s Mike Conley appeared disheartened, saying: \"This hurts. For me, it\u2019s going to take some time to process what we failed to do.\"<\/p>
Oklahoma will now face the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, with the former currently leading the series 3-1.<\/p>
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