The Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA Champions. But they aren’t immortal. In fact, if the last few weeks are any indication, they are anything but immortal. They have been struggling (relative to their usual dominance), and on Sunday against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, they fell.
In the first half, the Celtics had control. They found gaps in the Thunder defense and, despite some cold three-point shooting, rode the wave of their impressive defense to a double-digit lead. But OKC fought back and took home a 105-92 win in the second half, handing the Celtics their worst loss of the season.
And after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was feeling confident.
SGA was thrilled to beat the Celtics
When asked about how he was able to stay energized and compete at a high level for all 48 minutes against the Celtics, he said that games like Sunday’s affair are what he plays for.
The Thunder knew the Celtics were the defending champs, and they wanted to prove themselves.
“I like to compete,” Gilgeous-Alexander said post-game. “Like, at the root of it all, I like to play against, go against the best, and see where I stand. How good I really am. And that’s all it comes down to. Like coach said, they’ve done things that we’ve dreamt about doing, and there’s no way to get there without playing teams and competing against teams like that.
“And that’s what I wake up for, that’s what I play the game for, and that’s what tonight was about.”
The reporter who asked the question followed up by asking another. He wanted to know where Gilgeous-Alexander thinks he stands in the NBA. The superstar’s response was more cocky than bold this time around.
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at basketball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said with a smirk.
It’s no secret that the Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA. They should be the favorites to come out of the Western Conference this year, and their victory over the Celtics was their 15th in a row.
From the opening tip, it was clear that both sides desperately wanted to win the game, but the Thunder finished on top—a result that Gilgeous-Alexander is clearly very pleased with.
The 26-year-old is a fierce competitor and one of the best players in the NBA, and he wanted to beat the Celtics. He wanted to take down the champions.
That’s exactly what he did, and after the game, he was exuding confidence.