Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 140-127 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Strangely, Gilgeous-Alexander seemed to downplay the importance of wins and losses during the regular season, noting that no win is as great as it seems, and no loss is as devastating as it seems.
“A win is never as good as it seems. A loss is never as bad as it seems.”
There are a few ways to dissect these comments. In one way, you can look at what Shai is saying and take it at face value – as the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he is trying to make sure that this loss doesn’t demoralize the rest of the team as they enter the final stretch of the season with the best record in the Western Conference.
However, another, more cynical way to look at this comment would be Shai trying to downplay this loss to the Denver Nuggets, and more importantly, Nikola Jokic – his main rival in the 2025 MVP race, in an effort to sway public opinion in his favor to earn the votes needed to secure his first MVP award and keep Jokic from winning a historic fourth MVP award.
There have been a lot of criticisms levied in Gilgeous-Alexander’s direction over the way he plays, specifically how he uses opposing defenses to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line so frequently. Many feel that Shai foul-baits a lot and partakes in simulation to convince the referees to award him free throws.
Shai ranks second in the NBA for most free throws attempted per game with 8.3. By contrast, Nikola Jokic ranks 10th in the NBA with 5.9 free throws attempted per game. So a fair chunk of Shai’s 32.7 points per game come at the line, far more than Jokic’s 28.9 points per game.
Shai Favorite To Win MVP Despite Loss
Despite tonight’s loss, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be considered the favorite to win the MVP award this season. He is averaging 32.7 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 52.5% from the field, 37.3% from beyond the arc, and 90.0% from the free-throw line.
What’s more impressive is that he has done this while leading the Thunder to a 53-12 record, the best in the Western Conference and the second-best in the NBA behind the Cavaliers. While Jokic has been absolutely phenomenal in his own right, this could come down to the impressive record of the Thunder, who are on pace to win 60+ games this season.
On top of that, some feel that voter fatigue might kick in when it comes to Jokic, who has won the award three times in the last four years. Given all of these factors, Shai has to be considered the favorite for the award.
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