FIRST TAKE | SGA is a real MVP candidate! – Stephen A on Thunder win vs the NBA’s best team, Celtics

FIRST TAKE | SGA is a real MVP candidate! – Stephen A on Thunder win vs the NBA’s best team, Celtics

Is Alexander scoring 36 points as the Thunder top the league leading Celtics for OKC’s fifth straight win ESS what do you think of those apples the Thunder Mak um ladies and gentlemen I just need to uh sit here and apologize for what I I have not paid enough attention to the

Oklahoma City Thunder they’ve got my attention now they are 23 and9 they are in second place in the west a top two seed in the Western Conference one game behind Minnesota this brother sh gilis Alexander is a superstar this brother is special and oh by the way as a team

Let’s look at him number two they probably got the Rookie of the Year in Chad hren that’s number two number three look at what they’ve done winning five straight eight of their last nine games or so all right during this run Molly they’ve beaten the defending Champions nuggets twice they’ve snapped the

Clippers niname winning streak they beaten the West leading Minnesota Timberwolves and oh by the way they just beat who most of us recognizes the best team in basketball in the Boston Celtics this is what they’ve been doing we need to stand up and pay attention to the Oklahoma City Thunder young thorough

Breads led by a brother that is busting everybody’s you living you know what Shay gilis Alexander is a special special brother we got some young stars in this league he is one of them special special familiar all right and tonight Power Rankings had the Celtics and

Thunder at 1 and two the thunder on the rise see they were at number four the previous week and they made a case for that number one spot T of his first 14 points for Boston the the cross I’m used to it interesting work out like the best

Defenders in the world are guarding me maybe that’s why he had zero turnovers but J I know you’ve been hanging out with hockey players right so you can understand standard Canadian stuff going on there it’s the way that he plays efficiently and scoring at a high level and not disrupting his teammates in

Their ability to score and he’s scoring so many different ways he’s doing it from the three line the mid-range get to the basket get to the basket dropping it off making easy decisions right here if you watch how patient he is Derek White’s a great defender he’s like you

Know what I’ll go one-on-one get to my spot bump you right there so you can’t recover and knock down the easy jumper and that’s the start the game so he’s send the message I’m going to be here all night then right here if you watch how this patience and he snake dribbles

He gets around Brown right there same foot same hand that old Steve Nash live and then here if you watch how he dribbles and probes he gets to the other side of the Court lets everybody relax and boops here goes the burst of speed right here and that’s on another great

Defender in Drew holid easy layup and then right here some people say the dream Shake I’m saying this is Candace Parker dream Shake right here watch the footwork get into your spot getting Baseline and then a little thing but a big thing watch when he makes it he’s laughing running down Court he’s

Basically saying I can do whatever I want out here but what’s even more impressive the end of the game Jaylen Williams had 14 points Shay had 36 Shay didn’t go ball bag he said you got it that’s trust that’s putting confidence in your teammates special player I love

Watching him play noted ball bag right the go ball bag when you got it going like that you want the ball I want to be the hero he’s letting these other guys grow as well but he’s doing it in such a fashion and form that he’s an MVP level

Talent but letting these other guys grow yeah and he kept saying I identity we know who we are and that an indication of it all right Wednesday it’s another crunch time in Elite company 15th straight 30-point game for Joel embiid Wilt chamberling Kem Abdul Jabar the great Kobe Bryant

James hard now Joel and beid on that list cace it’s the assist in field goal percentage in this particular game during this run that really feels new and impressive for embiid yes last year back had his others take more shots didn’t get MVP but he got a championship

And I think embiid is taking a page out of jokic’s book right here Nick nurse offense has embiid with the ball in the middle of the floor a lot and what does that do it causes problems for defense you cannot switch with embiid and when you’re handling as a big you’re not used

To getting screened and you can’t switch so it leaves embiid open for the three he was 205 from Beyond The Ark and as a team Philly shot 40% from Beyond The Arc because of plays like this you have to bring the double and you have to make a

Choice Pat Bev making the Bulls pay and then right here I’m always big on a big being able to push Tempo and bring the ball up and not having to outlet then your Shooters just run the floor you have Maxi run into the corner great spacing Tobias trailing and then UB

Makes them pay from Beyond The Arc and then again defense leading to Sixers offense yeah step in front of that and take a charge you’re going to get a lot of eyeballs when you’re 7 foot and you’re the reigning MVP here let me just throw a little no look past toar Rocky

Top guy right there in Tobias Harris knocking it down Bulls helped them a little bit with their lack of transition defense but embiid has been doing this all year and I think his scoring yes 32 points per game great but it’s his assists that are making the Sixers

Better yeah career high six helpers per game his seventh career triple double but second this season really you go okay two time scoring champ last two seasons MVP how can you get better this is it I think the adjustments uh from Harden being gone and just the coaching

Change has freed him he’s doing the same thing he’s doing but he’s doing it more patiently and for him I think that keeps him more engaged he’s more excited he’s the point Center so to speak because he’s scoring but he’s getting those other guys shots and very rarely he’s

Almost a unicorn as well the way he plays right he’s playing inside and out with the same fluidity I think he’s special and he’ll it’ll be a crime if he doesn’t get to a championship level because I think we can see

FIRST TAKE | SGA is a real MVP candidate! – Stephen A on Thunder win vs the NBA’s best team, Celtics