That Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plants the winning basket in Game 1 against the Pelicans, that surprises no one. Finalist for the MVP trophy, the Thunder leader is also nominated for the “Clutch Player Of The Year” award. But on the other side of the field, it was not him who made the difference, but two rookies, Cason Wallace And Chet Holmgren !
On the last possession, it was CJ McCollum who had the ball in hand, to equalize or give the victory. In defense on him, Cason Wallace! And the rookie will defend very well, whether through his lateral support or through his active hands, even to the point of coming close to interception.
Pelicans target Cason Wallace
“It was huge” says Mark Daigneault. “There was a two-point gap, and we didn't want to do a double take in that situation. He almost got the ball. He put a lot of pressure on them, and took them out of the system they wanted to put in place.”
But CJ McCollum still trapped his young bodyguard, with a feint, and he took an almost open shot. “They have a clear position on his second support, and that’s a good lesson to remember” notes the Thunder coach. For Cason Wallace, this defense was a real personal challenge. “Twice in a row, they launched the same system against me. They probably figured it was better opposition for them, and it was somewhat personal for me.”
Holmgren wanted to be decisive
The other decisive action, or rather the other decisive actions, are the two counters from Chet Holmgren in “money time”. There was already a two-point gap when the rookie covered Larry Nance Jr. And there was even a tie (90-90) when Chet Holmgren covered Larry Nance Jr. again on a small floater. Two blocks which then allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score the winning basket.
“I only had one idea in mind, to take decisive action” says Chet Holmgren about this second counter. The Thunder pivot finished the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks, and he received, like Cason Wallace, the congratulations of his leader.
“I don’t really consider them rookies anymore” concludes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “They had a lot of playing time, and they had so many important moments. Once you've played 82 matches, I don't think you're still a rookie.”
