Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thought Tuesday’s 118-104 NBA Cup quarter-final home win vs. the Dallas Mavericks was a good challenge to see where the group is currently at (39 points/8 rebounds/5 assists/3 steals/1 block/15-23 FG/5-9 3-PT/4-4 FT/+22 +/-).
(via Oklahoma City Thunder):
Reporter: “When you played these guys less than a month ago, we asked about the second round series and whether you carried that into the season. You said you wouldn’t forget that, you wouldn’t try to forget that. I just wonder how much is that running through your mind as you’re going through tonight?”
Gilgeous-Alexander: “Personally, all day. They came out the West last year, I guess which means they were the best Western Conference team. Obviously we know how good the West is, and I respect that and I use that opportunity to get better and I use that opportunity to see if I got better and really measure myself against not so much the outcome, but the feel of the game offensively and strides we made personally and as a team. So yeah, they’re one of the better teams in the league and I definitely have a heightened sense of preparation and anticipation for the game.
“That goes to say with every top team in the league for me personally, that’s where you see who’s really who and who you really are is when you play the top of the top. And for me, that’s where I want to be at the end of the day: I want to come out the West and I want to win an NBA championship. And they did it, so we’re gonna have to go through them. It’s a good measure to see where we are.”
