As it turns out, picture-like smiles after seemingly-gut-wrenching postseason losses are completely acceptable when you’ve got the power to change the trajectory of a series immediately thereafter. Four days after saying “cheese” to the cameras after falling into a 2-1 series hole, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got to work on saying “goodbye” to the Denver Nuggets, turning on Most Valuable Player-like superpowers in Game Five’s late-game setting. On all night like a 24-hour diner’s open sign, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, appropriately, unleashed the full offensive menu: physical pull-ups over Jamal Murray’s glue-tight defense, spin-and-scoop finishes past Christian Braun, all for the culmination of one top-of-the-key isolation. Akin to a dramatic movie reaching its climax point, Gilgeous-Alexander stood ready for “his” moment, stamping his superstardom through a cold-blooded pull-up triple to push Oklahoma City to a game-clinching six-point edge with 47 seconds remaining. One step ahead of Denver’s resilient approach on May 13, 2025’s night, Gilgeous-Alexander rept rewards through a 3-2 series edge, closing with 31 points (on 12-of-23 shooting), six rebounds, seven assists, and one 3-pointer. · May 13, 2025