Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reveals What Went Wrong vs Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off for 35 points on an exceptionally efficient 57.1% shooting against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night.

It was too little too late.

The Spurs won 111-103 to end the Thunder’s bid to become the first repeat champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

The series began with Gilgeous-Alexander hoisting his second straight NBA MVP trophy, and the series ended with Victor Wembanyama hoisting the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy as Western Conference Finals MVP.

“They were just the better team tonight, start to finish,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters at his postgame presser. “And then every time we tried to, like, cut into it and take control of the game, it felt like they had an answer. A lot of times, it felt like it was tough shot-making. So, hats off to them.”

“Winning an NBA championship is very hard in itself to do it one time,” Gilgeous-Alexander said separately. “So, to do it all over again, [will] just only make it harder. So many things go into it. Sometimes, it’s things you can’t control. Sometimes, it’s things you can control.”

Gilgeous-Alexander was the lone offensive playmaker left for the Thunder. All-NBA and All-Star wing Jalen Williams (hamstring) and guard Ajay Mitchell (calf) missed most of the series. The Spurs defended Gilgeous-Alexander well through the first six games. Entering Game 7, he was averaging 24.3 points per game on 37.9% from the field and 26.1% from 3 as opposed to the 33.1 points and 55.3% shooting from the field he averaged in the regular season.

The Thunder, Spurs, and New York Knicks are the deepest teams in the NBA, which is probably why they were the last three teams standing. So, to say Gilgeous-Alexander was fighting an uphill battle alone would be inaccurate. The issue in Game 7 wasn’t SGA; it was that Chet Holmgren didn’t attempt a shot in the second half, and the likes of Alex Caruso and Jared McCain came back down to Earth.

Oklahoma City will have all summer to diagnose what went wrong, while the Spurs and Knicks are headed to the 2026 NBA Finals. The Spurs are seeking their first title since 2014, and the Knicks are seeking their first title since 1973. Game 1 is in San Antonio on Wednesday.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 12:54 PM.