FULL WCF GAME 4 REACTION ➡️ OKC Thunder 1 WIN AWAY from the NBA Finals ⛈️ | SC with SVP

FULL WCF GAME 4 REACTION ➡️ OKC Thunder 1 WIN AWAY from the NBA Finals ⛈️ | SC with SVP

uh Jaylen into the show which I believe is for the first time. We are long long overdue. Jaylen, Scott Vampel, thanks for throwing on uh the headset after a magnificent performance. If if we go back to Saturday, I’m sure it’s a long list of things you as a team did better tonight. But where does it begin in terms of what was better tonight than game three for the group? Uh I would definitely say competing. Uh that’s what these games come down to. you can do all the X’s and O’s correctly and you can game plan and watch film, but if you don’t come to play every single game, uh that’s kind of the outcome that you get uh last game tonight. I thought we did a good job competing from the very start and once you compete, you know, you give yourself a chance to win any game. Shay had a a career playoff high of 40. You did as well with 34. And Tim and I were just talking about the monster shot you took late when the building is ready to go and they’re fighting back. And I’m just so impressed, Jaylen, with how unimpressed you all seem to be with yourselves. Where does that that calm come from? Because as a group, collectively, you guys don’t ever seem to get real high or real low. It’s just something that we’ve learned over time to do. We trust each other to make the right play over and over again and um you know we’ve been on the end of getting too high and basketball will humble you when that happens. So the more you can stay even the better you are. Yeah, for sure. I mean that’s that but that’s the game in a nutshell. And you you know you took the step last year and now you’re taking a bigger step this year. What’s the value of of what you all learned a season ago if anything? I don’t know. I think we tend to make a lot of it. Maybe maybe it’s worthwhile. Maybe it’s not. You tell me. Uh, all experiences in the playoffs are good. You know, you can get eliminated first round, you can go all the way. Um, it’s about how you learn from your experiences and how you’re able to grow and get better through that. Um, you know, obviously we didn’t go out the way we wanted to last year, but we were able to learn a lot about ourselves and what we need to do to compete at a higher level and we’ve been able to, you know, kind of follow through with that this year. Your building is is as much like a college uh environment as anything in the NBA. They’re they’re starving for what’s coming on Wednesday night. But you all are a mature group. How do you maintain the focus on what is necessary to give them and you what you want, which is a birth to the finals. Yeah, just understanding that um you know it’s another game. Uh you know, like you say, you know, you try not to get too high or too low where you’re at. This is a first of four win series. It’s not first of three wins. So, we understand that we’re going to be ready to compete and try and get back and get some recovery and get ready to go. I know you got to go. I’m sorry for being greedy. Can I just ask one on Chad? Like he’s back in his home state and and and last year when y’all went when y’all went to that the the jersey retirement, I just thought it was such a cool thing. Just how much do you do you know it meant to him to be able to get this one in a building that I know means a lot to him. Uh it’s awesome. I’m literally looking at like probably like half his town in the family section. So uh it’s it’s definitely special, you know. Uh, I don’t think getting blown out was part of the part of the menu for us, but it it’s definitely it’s definitely cool. Anytime you could play, you know, play with your friends and your family in attendance, and it’s something that we look forward to, something that he holds dearly. So, anytime we get the opportunity to do that, it’s really dope and happy that he got to play well here, too. What do they say, Jaylen? Just a a minor setback for a major comeback. Tonight’s victory was tremendous. You guys answered the call over and over again. I appreciate you taking a moment. Hopefully, we cross paths down the road. Thank you. Yes, sir. Appreciate it. Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves now down 3-1. His thoughts after they lost tonight at home in a close one. How do you guys bounce back now? You guys, you know, four games in, what what do you think about going back to LKC? Uh, feel good, man. Um, just try to get one and come back home. And uh just the the turnovers that they create, just what are you kind of seeing from that respect that made it harder to take care of the ball tonight than versus game three? Um just can’t play with the ball around them. Like everybody on the team is handsy. Um yeah, just can’t play with it. Got to like coach said, got to pick one way and go and then once they show you the heavy gap, get off of it. What Dante gave you? Ah, they was balling. They was balling. Hopefully um they carry that over to the next game. and we’ll be all right. It did seem like you were making that that right play to bring in that. I mean, do you how do you feel about your sort of offensive process there? Obviously not as big points as you individually want. Yeah. Um definitely not the um I guess the points I wanted to get, but I mean they didn’t really let me get too many shots off. They did a good job with that. Every time I had the ball, they showed me a a major crowd. So just making the right play, getting off of it. Um and my guys hit shots tonight. So big shout out to him. And just I mean you guys played good defense on Shay and JDub a lot and they just made big shots over you. Is that kind of what you saw? I mean in good position a lot for in the fourth quarter. Yeah they Yeah. I mean JDub had a bunch of open ones. Um he made some tough ones too. Shay made some tough ones. But um I think Chad changed the game for him more than anything. Um the easy points he had the easy rebounds, put backs, all his points. I think I think that was a game changer. So much of you guys play up front to this point was big nice from you and Randall. Um and just how did it kind of hit you for the fact that you guys both struggled at the same time tonight? Um I don’t look at it like I struggled or he struggled. They just they had a good game plan making us get off the ball. Um especially for me, man, they was super in the gaps. I made the right play all night. So I don’t really look at it like I struggled. I didn’t get enough shots to say I struggled. That’s my That might be how you guys look at it. But yeah, I didn’t struggle at all. It’s just I made the right play. And do you have to urge to want to shoot at all? Yeah, that’s the difference. Yeah. Like it’s a urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there, but you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So, just playing the game the right way, man. And that’s what I that’s what we did tonight as a team. Um, do you feel do you feel like you got to score 30 for this team to win? Do you put that burden on you? No, I don’t put no burden burden on myself. Um, just try to win. It’s the only burden I put on myself to try to win. We gave oursel a chance tonight. We just didn’t come out from the start with the same aggression that we did in game three. You feel maybe left one out there tonight? I mean, you guys did not play a perfect game, but at the end, you were within two. Do you feel like you maybe left one out there? Yeah, I mean, we we gave up 19 offensive rebounds and 21 turnovers. So, they got 40 more possessions than us. So, and we lost by two. So, um, I’m not saying that’s good. I’m not saying it’s bad, but we can take we can take that and and and run with it. I mean, so we’ll be all right. Guess you played desperate in game three and it worked. Do you have to flip that switch again now in game five? Um, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Um, it’s 3-1. We know Wes State. Um, so yeah, we got to come out and try to get a win. He and Randall only had 21 points on 20 shots. What did that Thunder defense effectively do to one of the best players in the NBA? And and to add to that, Scott, they had 10 turnovers to only six made field goals combined. Um they need Anthony Edwards to have a big game. They need you to get Julius Randall going. You have to give uh credit where credit is due. OKC’s defense. They threw Lou Dort. They threw Kesan Wallace. They they threw um Alex Cruso. They were into Anthony Edwards. They were double teaming. They were fronting. They were denying. And the best way to stop a great scoreer is to not let him touch the ball. And when he did have the ball, as you’re seeing on these films, whether it was Julius or Ant, every time they were in the paint, there’s three, four guys around them. They’ve got to continue to make the right reads, find guys, and their teammates have to step up and make shots. Their bench was outstanding tonight, Scott. I believe the Minnesota bench scored around 60 points. But we have to find a way, the Minnesota Timberwolves rather have to find a way to get those both those guys going. Starts in transition, get them some easy looks. They played against a set defense over and over and over tonight. And that can’t be the case going into OKC in game five, fighting to keep your season alive. He did have he being Edwards did have six assists and I understand exactly what he’s saying. Made the right basketball play and they did still come within two points on a night when he was limited from a scoring perspective. On the other end of it, Michael, you have an all-time career playoff high for SGA and for Jaylen Williams. And Chad pitches in more than just pitches in with 21 and is great on the defensive end. You talk about big threes in the NBA. Well, that’s it in a nutshell. What impressed you most about the way that trio performed in this game? Combined for 95 points, Scott, you look at Shay in particular, 40 points, 10 assists. So, you add up his points as assist. He he contributed 65 points to the game tonight. Jaylen Williams, I mentioned it pregame. I knew Shay was going to have a big game because that’s what MVPs do. But could Jaylen Williams add to the cause? And then Chad Homegrren obviously big big game. Attacked the basket, protected the uh the rim, three block shots. And this play right here was a huge huge shot. End of the shot clock. Fourth quarter. I just didn’t think down the stretch. Minnesota, we finally got a close game, right? This was what everybody wanted. Can this game, unlike uh the first three games, can we get a close game? We got that tonight. But Minnesota in the fourth quarter gave up 38 points, 65% from the field. They could not get that stop when they needed to. They gave themselves a chance, but came up just short. I’m with you. But by the same token, Michael, I felt like these were big time buckets, man. Like I mentioned this with legs. The and you’ve lived it, right? You’re on the road. It’s a hostile building. They’ve got to have it. And OKC repeatedly had the answer. And every time the the uh Timberwolves came with a rally to get even OKC had the answer and a lot of times it was a big time three from Williams. I just think the ability for a team to absorb body blows and then throw haymakers their own that that’s how teams become championship teams. Like are we seeing this team take a giant step with a win like they got tonight from what you saw? Yeah, I think it’s a really good point because think about this. During the regular season, they were not in very many close games. And I think going into this series, people wanted to find out what are the Thunder made of? Can can they execute in a hostile environment, in a close game, under pressure? And what they did tonight, to your point, uh they showed that they could execute down the stretch. They showed that the moment wasn’t too big for them. They trusted each other. The ball moved and every guy that stepped up made a big shot. I think in that fourth quarter, 38 points, but Shay, Cadet, and Jaylen scored 34 of those 38 three-headed monster. And uh it was impressive to watch. And we’ll see what what Minnesota can bring going on the road in another hostile environment with their backs firmly against the wall. One last quick one because you’ve seen it. Maybe you seemed different than I did, but I asked Jaylen about it. They I’m impressed with how unimpressed they seem to be with themselves. like they could be demonstrative and and and act crazy and I would if I was doing this, but they seem largely to follow SGA’s lead. Has that been your experience with them? I mean, they have plenty of reason to peacock around on everybody the way they’ve dominated this league, but I feel like largely, even tonight, they just all business. Is that your perspective? I I I agree. I think it starts with their head coach, Mark Dagnalt. Very under control, calm, cool, collected. Sheay the MVP. the same thing. And here’s the biggest reason why, Scott. They haven’t done anything yet, right? There’s nothing to be braggadocious about. They they they’ve got to continue to stay on this path as they try to become a a championship team, and they’re well on their way. Understood. And that and that’s a great point. And I think that’s sort of the that’s sort of what they’re demonstrating that they’re going to they’re going to continue to focus on the business at hand, which uh continues on Wednesday night. I appreciate the time, Michael. Look forward to talking again. Game four highlight from Minneapolis as Timberwolves trying to get even. It was a blowout Saturday night that OKC got debacled but they came out ready to go. Shay Gildas Alexander turnaround in the lane. Thunder lead by seven. Four-point game. Jaylen Williams step back cookies lead is seven. three-point game again and again. It’s another three. There were 11 threes made in the first quarter between the two teams. SJ and William had 26 first quarter points and it’s a seven-point lead. This what they call the Dorchard Chamber L. They were harassing Anthony Edwards all night long. Four points in the first half. Two field goal attempts in a half is the lowest in the playoffs in his career. Six-point game in the third. There’s another three for Alexander. And SGA again attack mode into the third. Edwards gets to the cup and it’s a seven-point game. These two were excellent. Nquille Alexander Walker and Dante Devincenzo. A huge bench game. They got 64 bench points that tied the game at 79. But every single time that the Timberwolves got close, the Thunder had an answer. There’s our guy AC fresh Caruso with a three. Five-point game. Chad, the thin man with half his town in the building and it’s now a five-point lead. SGA off the glass and the lead grows. It’s five after three. End of the fourth. Nine-point game. The Timberwolves just kept fighting. That was the only three Edwards hit in the game. He hit more threes than anybody all season long. Then a Steven Shenzo corner three. He was shooting about 25% from three coming into this series. He had been struggling. Shooters shoot. It’s a three-point game. Can they get a stop on the other end? No. 40 on the night for the MVP here in a four-point game. You’ll see him slip. Keeps the pivot foot out to Williams. All three of these and the lead is back to seven again. Every single time the Timberwolves got close, the one seed had an answer. Four-point lead. Williams again. The lead’s back to seven. But again, Minnesota won’t go away. Randall, no. Dor can’t squeeze it. It ends up in the hands of McDaniels in the corner. He hits the three. It’s a two-point game. Free throws exchanged down the stretch and now it’s Edwards at the line and he’s got to miss the second on purpose which he does a lot of times. That’s harder to do than you think. And Shay Gilis Alexander throws it out of bounds. My man in the front row like he caught him with about6. They put three on the clock. That means everything’s got to go right if you’re the Timberwolves. It does not as it is picked off on the inbound. SJA the eighth player with 40 points and 10 assists in a conference or divisional finals game in NBA history. Here he is on being a road villain. It’s super fun. It it’s it’s more fun than like it’s about more fun, but it’s like it’s it’s pretty up there with like being at home. It’s um the whole building’s against you, chanting whatever they’re chanting, screaming whatever they’re screaming. Um and it’s your job to go out there and play basketball and uh kind of shut them up. So yeah, it it it’s definitely fun. It definitely adds more to the game. Um yeah, I enjoy it for sure. Shay, uh what do you think of Nikil’s performance and then there at the end when he was guarding you? Did it kind of take you back to childhood a little bit? Yeah, he was really good tonight. He I feel like he barely missed. Uh yeah, I mean I’m not completely surprised. Like I know what type of basketball player he is. The night like he had tonight. He is very capable of every night. Like he’s a really good basketball player. Great feel, great skill. Like it’s only a matter of time before he blows. Um, and yeah, just being out there on this stage going against each other for what it felt like half the game tonight was um was super fun. He uh got the better of me sometimes. I got the better of him. Um stuff you we’ve dreamt about for our whole lives and it’s crazy that it’s um it’s come to fruition. So, it’s super cool. They got 40 from Shay. We’ve seen that before. They got 30 from Jaylen Williams. Awesome. They got 20 from Chad. They generated 20 turnovers. got 20 points off of turnovers. I know it was a two-point win, but that’s a that’s a script of a thunder victory. And by the way, you talked about Chad being in front of half his town. He just got the last standing ovation here tonight at Target Center when he came out after a postgame workout. Got an ovation from his friends and family just a couple minutes ago and uh he earned it with uh one of the more iconic moments of his young life on that block shot late in the game. Indeed. I asked Jaylen about that and he I you know being in a building that means so much and he said yeah. I said, “I think half his town’s here. I don’t think getting beat by 48 was in the script.” I’m like, “Yeah, but you know, minor setback, major comeback, what, however you want to frame it.” But look, this team, Brian, took its lumps and they were awful and they’re accumulating draft picks and like you could do that, but there’s no guarantee that you’re going to assemble anything that looks like this. And now here we are. What are we looking at with this Thunder team as constructed? the future, the present and the future. And like this victory, I mean, I got to point out, I know that there’s going to be dissection of the Wolves over the next 48 hours, particularly Ann Edwards. The Wolves scored 41 points in the fourth quarter of this game against one of the best defenses we’ve seen in the modern era. And the Thunder kept throwing haymakers back at them with the Wolves fighting for their lives on their home court. And it was all three of these guys, Shay, Cadet, Jaylen Williams. Like these guys were making incredible plays on the stretch of this game under pressure. I mean, there’s legitimate questions not 6 months ago, 6 weeks ago about whether Jaylen Williams could deliver in the clutch. He is growing up in front of everybody’s eyes. I want to point out, Scott, in case people forget, this is Jaylen Williams and Chad Homegrren’s third seasons. They’re in their early 20s. These guys are just beginning to develop into the kind of players they are. And look at how they delivered. I’m going to point out game five against the Nuggets at home. They’re down by nine at home. They come back and win in that fourth quarter. Tonight, they’re under an onslaught of pressure. The Wolves are playing a brilliant overall basketball game. They come out with the win. That’s how you establish yourself as a championship team, getting wins like we saw tonight. I completely agree. That was that was going to be my you essentially answered where I was going. I’m just the the the question I’ve been asking everybody Jaylen uh legs Michael Malone like what what impressed me the most is not what you learn but maybe what they showed the ability to absorb the kind of pressure and the kind of punches that this team that’s desperate is throwing and not blink I don’t know if they’re going to win a title but they won a game tonight that a lesser team would not have won you feel the same way yeah and I I I spent the whole season listening to people in the NBA a lot of it off the record disrespecting this team, not believing in this team. I don’t know how you can watch these last couple of weeks and not be all be start to understand that this team is a serious serious problem going forward. Yeah, I hear that. And I I I heard what you said during the season about that. And I wonder, man, like people are saying the quiet part, not out loud, but they’re saying the quiet part, but they better be careful because this team I mean, if it’s not now, it’s it’s it’s coming because they’re not going anywhere. They’re not going anywhere, I guess. The Ched army is uh still enjoying themselves. I’m sure Go see if you can link up on Monday evening. Go see if you can link up. See where the night takes you, Brian. You’re We appreciate you as always. Be well. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

On SportsCenter, Scott Van Pelt recaps the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

0:00 Jalen Williams joins
3:40 Anthony Edwards’ comments
7:10 Michael Malone’s thoughts
12:16 Game 4 highlights
15:44 SGA postgame
17:08 Brian Windhorst stops by

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