Shai in his end of the year presser “I don’t need to umbrella Chet, he’ll figure it out”
You can tell a lot about a person by how they act in defeat and success and Shai has been a class act throughout the whole process. The flopping and everything are so frustrating because he seems like such an easy guy to root for if he played the right way.
Watching him knock down all those tough shots without benefiting from the free throw merchant stuff last night felt like looking at Darth Vader knowing Anakin is still in there somewhere
Shai stayed on his feet and hit some tough shots in game 7. His reputation would be completely different if he always played like that rather than just hunted free throws all the time.
The unfortunate truth is he would not be as productive without the foul bating
Neither would any star. People hate the players for trying to maximize efficiency but they’re trying to win the best way they can
This is so true. We get mad at the players doing it, but we should absolutely be going off to the NBA, Silver, and the refs for even allowing that behavior. At the highest level, athletes will use whatever they can to elevate their game and chances by even the smallest of margins.
Steph
Steph is an anomaly tbf. If he had the typical superstar whistle he’s averaging 40 lol.
Of course he won’t be, and neither will any other star.
If you are a 55% shooter and you don’t know how to draw fouls, it means that the other 45% of the time, your plays results in zero points. If you know how to, then you can still squeeze out points even when your shots don’t land, there isn’t a clear path to a bucket or when the defenders gets too physical with you.
To the casual fan, not every point matters - like when it comes from drawing fouls. But to the team and organization, every point absolutely matters. Especially given how competitive the game has evolved.
I think that series is going to be the standard going forward - the level of fitness and physicality, the positionless and fluid play, lots of back and forth actions happening all over the court to a point where the refs aren’t able to catch everything.
The technical parts of the game will come into play more than ever - when to draw fouls, when to give fouls (like what fox did in G7). This is what will separate good teams from champion teams
Edit: Grammer
lol but he didn’t stay on his feet. I don’t hate his playstyle like every hater on here but he played the same way he did all series. He was just knocking down tough fucking shots, because ya know, he’s really good at bball.
But to say he “stayed on his feet” is just wrong lol. I swear yall didn’t watch the game
Missing team’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th best offensive options is hard.
I mean one of them wasn’t missing. He was hiding lol
My point, precisely.
I mean it is really hard to hide as a 7 footer, but Chet succeeded. SAS were leaving their weakest defender which was also injured and it worked!
They have been praised for their depth tho
Tbf, depth is the reason they took it to 7.
I mean there was at least one really bad merchant moment
Just the one. In a WCF Game 7 against your rival. Missin J-Dub & Ajay Mitchell. Chet on a milk carton. Can you blame him?
Nah there was the jump into the defender, but off the top of my head in the first half he smoked a lay because he tried to draw contact and it was multiple moments where he was on the ground after no foul that hurt OKC on the fast break. Pretty sure Crawford went through a montage talking about it.
Yeah, to some extent him not pulling that stuff as much in Game 7 just came down to the refs not rewarding it and SGA adjusting. Just imagine if they were more consistent in not rewarding that behavior in general, it would just evaporate.
Wow what a beautiful analogy
That’s why it is extremely frustrating for me to see Thunder play that kind of basketball, specifically because without doing that they are still a great team filled with a lot of likeable characters.
It is 100% coached. McCain wasn’t flopping until he suddenly got to OKC. Caruso also used to be very likeable.
I was going to say, I felt like this community constantly praised Caruso for his tenacity and defensive efforts before he got to OKC
My exact same feelings towards that team. I like a lot of their players, including Chet
I think majority of us liked his game and how it’s developed since he came into the league. Until tail end of last year into this season with the flopping. He played mostly straight up yesterday and he was smooth with it
It’s fucking rough, I want to see these athletes be tough and gritty, play with mentality and determination. It’s one thing to see a guy fighting for minutes trying to do whatever it takes to secure his bag, it’s another when an actual superstar plays that way when they have the tools to will their way to victory.
Fuck Silver and the refs for enabling players to play to then instead of playing the fucking game.
i believe he was the only OKC player to go congratulate the Spurs players at the end of the game.
That was more of Spurs thing though, Castle basically didn’t acknowledge his handshake while the rest were with wemby who was freaking out (good way)
I would’ve felt a bit weird as an OKC player going in the middle of that emotional celebration. seems like the kinda situation where I’d let the teammates have their moment with each other
“The right way”
Every other NBA player, active or retired, shows their respect to SGA. This sub full of chronically online trolls think they know the right way to play basketball.
The right way is not to pretend to be fouled every time you have the ball in your hands. The NBA is an entertainment league first and foremost and it’s for the fans; no one can argue watching them try to trick the refs is entertaining.
He’s legit as fuck he’s just in a league that rewards shit behavior. This is like fighting for points in boxing. It sucks because you have an incredible talent like FMW Jr. who takes on a defensive and boring fighting style, and let’s the judge decide who wins and sets it up so he can’t lose. It’s horrible but unless nothing changes top talent will be forced to practice flopping to stay in the NBA at all.
Always love the way he carries himself in interviews. You may not like his game but he always knows the right things to say. Can’t forget right after the thunder won the finals last year the first thing he did was go visit Haliburton in the locker room.
Need to stop blaming him and blame the league. If they stopped calling the contact he would stop flopping tomorrow. He’s just optimizing for what the league seems to want.
Think he was the only Thunder player to stay and congratulate the Spurs?
SGA is one of my least favourite athletes of all time but I respect that hes not a sore loser or winner.
I had the exact same thought.
Exactly what a leader should and would say.
Dammit this makes me like him. A very good answer and exactly what I would want to hear as a competitor from the leader if I were Chet.
Actually, we can like him again now since he lost.
Dude this comment made my day
Hate ended with OKC. I hate the Spurs now.
Yeah let’s start some shit about the monks why he doing that?
What I want to know is why he brought photographers. Do your monk thing but dude’s cheesy af.
Let’s not even mention the fucking drum thing bro is going out of his way to be cheesy
You know, you can still hate OKC. I know there’s enough room in your heart for that.
Shai is a spectacular person, extremely nice, very humble and just a great guy.
His flopping though is a cancer, but yeah as a person he might be the best in the league fr.
His flopping though is a cancer
I’m convinced it’s all Dagenault. Fuck that guy
You must know nothing about SGA as he’s always been like this
That is correct
Model Canadian
I like how he doesn’t absolve Chet of the responsibility without throwing him under the bus. Saying we did get the worst version of Chet this series and that he has to be accountable for his own game/development without pointing fingers and shifting the blame while acknowledging he himself wasn’t so great this series either
It’s ok to say your teammate (and yourself) have to get better and that’s why you lost but also you don’t need to babysit them and maintain full confidence in your teammate that they’ll figure it out. They’re grown ass adults and professionals, Chet has to take ownership of his own shortcomings. If that doesn’t get Chet going, then that’s on him.
He didn’t say they got the worst version of Chet
The old media Jordan stans would just love him to punch Chet in the face
Nah, you support your teammate in public and get on their ass in private
sure but like they don’t even do that in public. I think Vassell punking Chet in game 6 (which probably should have been a tech) and nobody really coming to Chet’s defense was such a damning moment in the series.
Jordan never roasted or threw his teammates plunder the bus during interviews.
arrrrrrr, I be here for the bus plundering…
Yar. And I took that personal, matey!
but he treated each one of em like Scottie Burrell behind hidden cameras
But what about the cameras in the open?
Because the NBA choses to position itself as tmz for men where everyone’s hyper reactionary and there’s always drama. Everything except the actual game .As an example ask any casual that comments how much of a bum these guys are to name u 1 set play each team ran yesterday and 1 type of defensive coverage. Each team had like 100 possessions as well so it shouldn’t be that hard
It was cool seeing OKC free up SGA like the Sixers used to with Alan Iverson. Setting double picks at center court to create a downhill runway
Huh? I don’t remember Jordan throwing his teammates under the bus at least not in a press conference after a loss.
I also like to make up my own group to win fake arguments against
Jordan was actually incredibly media savvy, which probably is part of what contributed to why he got to be as big as he did culturally.
yeah hard to not like him. really mature and rounded personality
i mean he IS talking to the media but ive noticed in other interviews he seems to be a good dude
This kind of statement is what Ben Simmons needed from Doc and Embiid in his last game with the Sixers
He still would’ve continued to socialize, and summer train with nepo coaching
Especially considering there were some pretty bad games from sga this series
There’s bad games because you’re cold and off, and then there’s bad games because you’re scared and absent.
Its pretty off topic but I dig SGA’s hair like this. Maybe its just because its different idk
This is SGAs evil twin. Surprisingly, he doesn’t flop nearly as much but is kind of a dick in the locker room. Word is, he stole some watches out of some of his teammates lockers that good SGA bought them.
SGA evil twin is FTA
FTA is SGA brother
doesn’t flop nearly as much but is kind of a dick in the locker room.
So you mean the good twin?
Tied for mvp with steph and hes not even the good twin
Wai Wilgeous-Walexander
Darkest timeline SGA, he just needs the glue on mustache
it balances his face better
Wayyyy better. He actually looks cool instead of pretty generic.
For sure, I like it
literally my first thought
Me, a white guy: “uhh… oh yeah”
I was thinking the same when I first saw a clip
He got inspired by his idol Dylan Harper
Hey, first GG and congrats on the win. Also, I’m digging the hair as well. More casual.
I was kinda missing what he was saying because I was distracted by his awesome hair. First time I’ve seen it this way.
Guy is a fantastic person.
If Shai’s on court persona was even 1% as wholesome as his actual personality, he’d be one of the most likeable guys in the league.
Y’all are acting like he’s out there kicking people in the nuts every other play
It feels like hes kicking my soul in the nuts sometimes when he flops ngl
Yeah but people single him out when flopping and falling has been a problem with most NBA superstars for years now. LeBron flops, Jokic flops, Luka flops, Curry falls or folds himself in half mid air on a decent amount of his 3s trying to draw a call. Wemby flops (god he flails his arms like a ballerina sometimes). Rhe list goes on.
All of these guys exaggerate contact, snap their heads back, flail or fall every single game. Every star does it
So its odd when people are so ruthless on SGA and not other stars
ahh yes, famous foul call beneficiary Steph Curry
I agree with him on Curry falling after 3pt shots. I feel like it became more common recently. He doesn’t get those calls but other guys do.
He’s not trying to draw calls, its to protect his ankles (mainly)
yep most leg injuries come when you try to brace yourself to stand upright, cant roll your ankle if youc crumple
But if sga falls
This entire series he was trying to foul bait, and his numbers took a huge hit(only had 1 game above a 50% FG percentage)
The dude is too talented to think drawing fouls against a great defensive team is the right strategy
People here don’t wanna hear this lol, the picking and choosing and the unfair hate train on certain players is starting to drive me nuts. We will truly see how much people care about “ethical hoops” with this Spurs Knicks series haha
What era of basketball did not have star scorers that get fouled more often because their consistent superior skill demands aggressive defense. SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THIS SHIT!!! Pick a fucking decade that didn’t have it!!!!!
It’s not about picking a decade man, just use your eyes. No one denies SGA’s skill, but he flops, is he defended with phisicality? yes. Is he also an egregious flopper? Also yes.
You posted a list and I think everyone sees clearly that there’s things that separate the Durants, Dirks or Jordans from the Embiid, Hardens and SGAs (and let’s not talk Steph Curry cause he’s the GOAT shooter and has the worst whistle ever even though he should be the one flying across the court with his size and the defenses he’s had to face). They flop, they exaggerate, they jump into opponents to draw contact. It’s allowed by the league, but fans don’t like it and pretending it’s just a consequence of how they’re defended it’s just silly.
I get at some point other players have also tried to get some calls, like Jokic, but unlike SGA, we’ve also seen plenty of games where he’s constantly fouled and gets nothing at all (the Caruso defense G7 as a great example), so yeah, I think you’re very wrong.
cook, the difference is some guys happened to win MVPs in seasons that the internet desperately wanted someone else to
an unforgivable sin
Yea I think the Shai hate is a bit over done. Yea, the foul baiting is stupid and horrible and not fun to watch, but ultimately, that’s the league’s fault for allowing it. Nearly every player tries to abuse these rules, at least to an extent. Shai is one of the worst abusers and one of the best at abusing them.
Yep, once your on top you get picked apart, fair or not. Every top guy has his darling phase then villain.
It’s happened to Luka, Jokic, Giannis, Embiid etc.
nah he just acts like he gets kicked in the nuts every time he goes up.
Huh he’s pretty nonchalant for someone getting kicked in the nuts then
He flops.
He doesn’t shout at the refs. He doesn’t do dirty plays. He doesn’t bitch to the refs while his team is on D at the other end of the court. He doesn’t get aggressive with other players. He doesn’t love his cool and sulk when things aren’t going his way.
Like come on. You can hate his game and his flopping but he’s one of the best guys on a court every night in terms of being wholesome and just a good dude.
I am an okc hater but really his only sin is embellishing contact. It’s not like he even complains when he doesn’t get a call. His teammates on the other hand…
Not just embellishing, some possesions he doesn’t even seem like he wants to try to score, he’s just looking to bait a foul. Which is a shame, because he’s pretty damn good player when he actually tries to score…
Damn we just can’t get balanced opinions on this guy. It’s either “worst mvp and all he does is flop” or “all he does is embellish contact and people think he’s awful.” He’s a great player, but he absolutely flops pretty often, sometimes he only hunts contact rather than play.
oh no he flops.
god the reddit pitchfork mob for this dude is so over the top.
other guys kick people in the balls.
yall are dumb.
Or elbow dudes in the face.
Wemby got Jaylin last night pretty clean. Also smashed Caruso in the face
Shai may be an annoying flopper but he’s not dirty, rude or aggressive on the court.
That hate should be directed towards his teammates.
Dude, it’s just some flopping. He doesn’t rage on the court. Plays both ends. Has never had a problem that I’ve seen with opponents. 3 techs all year as a premier player that forces engagement 50 times a game? Great team player
What are you talking about his persona is completely fine on the court
I liked that. Good response.
He knows what a pro wants, what a pro needs
Whatever makes him happy sets him free
And he’s thanking him for knowing exactly.
What a Chet wants. What a Chet needs.
I love you guys ❤️
Same thing happened to Magic Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki and many, many other players
Not saying Chet is as good as top notch Hall of Famers, just that players have major failures in the postseason and get buried. Then the tough-minded get to work and come back stronger
I believe Chet will learn from this failure and come back much better
Scottie Pippen is a famous example. People forget he was viewed as mentally weak at several points in his career.
The Pistons said that once their physicality stopped working on Jordan they turned their attention to Pippen
In game 6 of the 1989 ecf Laimbeer gave Pippen a concussion in the first minute and knocked Pippen out of the game and the Bulls lost the series
In game 7 of the 1990 ecf Pippen had a migraine and went 1⁄10 from the field (the non-Jordan Bulls starters went 10⁄49) and the Bulls lost the series
The next year when the Pistons couldn’t bully Pippen anymore the Bulls swept them and then 3peated
This reads more like…pippen had post concusion symptoms than hes mentally strong
I wasn’t blaming Pippen for being mentally weak, I was saying what happened lol. The media didn’t care that Pippen was given a concussion when they called him weak. They didn’t care that he had a migraine either. The media was just as mean back then as they are today, only it’d be front page of the paper on everybody’s door steps in the morning rather than 100000 articles posted online as it happens.
Pistons were bullies, both physically and psychologically. It doesn’t matter if it was actually true that pippen was weak, they were gonna torment him and then if they won spin the narrative that that’s how they won to keep the mental edge for the future.
If those Pistons played with today’s media I think Malice in the Palace would’ve been fans vs players
Bill Laimbeer would need security at all times whenever he was on away games.
There’s a reason he’s still not in the Hall despite having a resume that should be borderline worthy as he is definitely on the shortlist of the most despised players of all time.
I believe chet will find solace in his $240 million contract
Rare take on this sub that isn’t nonsense
Hard to not be better than 404 Not Found
Ring in his real second year. Failure is part of the process. Still a top 3 rim protector. He was 2nd in dpoy, got All NBA and All Star selection. Bad series, but he is still young.
Top 3 is tough, I honestly think it’s crazy people forget how much easier it is to be a big when you have elite perimeter defender and Hartenstein to take bigger matchups.
Throw Chet in Utah he’s not at that level
it’s tough because on a normal team, it feels like you have to pair him with another big or a buff 4
It’s also just the worst matchup humanly possible for him
Wemby neutralizes everything Chet does on both ends of the floor
Did any of them have nearly as drastic of failures? Genuinely asking.
Yes. The 1 seed Mavs got upset by the 8 seed Warriors in the first round the year Dirk won MVP. He was seen as a perennial playoff choker who couldn’t get it done until they beat they Heat
that + also blowing a 2-0 lead in the finals the previous year,
8 points on 2-13 FG in the game they got eliminated
Probably not from a statical standpoint. But Magic definitely had more WTF crucial moments in 84.
Everyone here is too young to remember “Tragic Johnson”
I see you too just listened to Bill Simmons pod ha
I’m brave enough to say it: I don’t think Chet is as good as top notch Hall of Famers
Eloquent answer from Shai. Couldn’t have answered that question any better.
We’ll see how the next few seasons play out. OKC could talk themselves into the series going to seven with injuries to important players or they could get proactive and try to extend the window against an also growing Spurs team whose timeline probably moved up a year early.
I’m not a fan of his game but as a person and as a leader I don’t think you could ask for anything more than what SGA delivers.
They win this series in 5 if healthy. Can’t be missing both their ball handlers not named SGA. They should pursue kyrie in the off season
Nicest dude in the league and you got guys in threads wishing he tore his ACL because they don’t like how he plays…
Competition is amazing but wishing that on someone is weak AF
I always see these comments before the alleged one it’s referring to lmao
You usually find them in game threads and opposing team comment sections where moderation is a lot lighter. I saw a lot of Spurs fans on social media and reddit game threads wishing he’d tear something.
The reality is that not having creation trickled down to Chet just as much as it affected Shai (if not more). He’s not there to be a “#2 scoring option” the way people suddenly want to paint him. He’s a defensive guy who can space the floor and maybe if you’re lucky take 2-3 dribbles and pull up. We need another REAL scoring option/creator. If you’re comparing us to previous champions, He’s Aaron Gordon or Porzingis, he’s not #2 like Murray to Porzingis or Brown to Tatum. We need a real #2 whether that’s J-Dub or someone else. But Chet isn’t there for his offense, he’s there to make the whole defense work.
He’s porzingis except with a slower release and an inability to post up 6’3 guards. He does a good job as a weak side rim protector but not great when he’s the primary defender on the driver. Last years title run over inflated his value this years is underselling. If he gets stronger and works on his ball handling and mid range game he’ll be fine
So, not Porzingis lol. You give Porzingis the ball in the post or mid-range, he’s creating his own shot, an efficient one at that.
He’s being paid like a #2 option though.
He’s paid to be the second best player on the team, which is more based on his defense than his offense. Ideally he’d be good on both ends but even then you’d want him to be a 3rd option.
Guys actually don’t only get paid for offense. What option do you think Gobert is?
He got disrespected af by all spurs guards everyone scored on him so him being a “defensive guy” was not a good for him. He was bad overall
getting punked by Wemby wasnt the issue, getting punked on by every other spurs player was the issue
The coach pulled him on a crucial defensive possession
No one is expecting him to be a #2 on a day to day basis. But when your #2 is out, the #3 scoring option is expected to step up and fill in the gap. Great players do that all the time. Aaron Gordon does it. It’s ok if Chet can’t do it cause he is not a good player.
Okc just needs to accept the fact that he’s not that good a basketball player and it’s fine. Just stop trying to give excuses for a max contract guy who scored 4 points on 2 field goal attempts in a do or die game.
Side note, even as a #3 or #4 option offensively, 4 points is pathetic. Accept that he sucks.
He was lowkey getting cooked by everyone on the spurs though, so it’s not like he was doing great defensively either.
That’s fine in an uncapped league, but he’s being paid too much to just be a spot up guy who can maybe dribble twice on offense
u guys already have j-dub and ajay in that roll. they are just injured.
Think people are very quick to write off a 23 year old. Same thing with Duren. Yeah and someone might smug reply Wemby but he’s a generational talent lol it’s not really the same is it especially when you look at San Antonio alumni that he can lean on. Realistically Chet just had a shocker of a series and who can he lean on to help him?
Duren didn’t get paid yet. Chet did which is a big part of this narrative
Chet has already provided insane impact for multiple seasons and has been a key piece on a championship team and statistically 2 of the best roster of all time
hot take shai is an amazing player/leader and i like watching the thunder
Wow what a daring take
I cannot understand that anyone could watch Shai and conclude that style and asthetics are somehow lacking in his game. Smoothest man on the court.
His highs are incredibly exciting but it is really boring to watch the free throws. I do think it’s a lot on the defenders though. He’s developed a playstyle where guarding him one on you you have to give up something. Either he gets a relatively open jumper, or you overreact and bite on a fake and he’s drawing contact.
It was fun to watch the spurs figure him out a bit over the 7 game series. They did a better job than most not fouling him and challenging him to make shots.
Shai redemption arc starts today. Dude is going to stop flopping and start an all time rivalry with Wemby. Subscribe
If he stops flopping, man, he’d be such a fan favorite
I wish I could hate him for more than his play style. Great dude, great player, just hate the flopping and that’s literally it.
Harden at least I can make fun of him for being addicted to the strip club and making excuses and stuff. SGA a good dude
I think that’s what “sports hate” is, like it’s almost wwe stuff. All the hate comes from his play, you villainize certain players cuz they cook or flop, in sga’s case both lol. But you listen to him in interviews and see him signing autographs for fans and you realize like oh he’s actually a good dude, I just hate this guy for his game lol.
I mean I wish most people thought this way, if you’ve been reading the comments about him the past few weeks it’s been pretty disgusting and quite far from regular sports hate
Good leader
He’s such a thoughtful dude.
Really great role model.
We’re clearly still maturing in a lot of ways, and I don’t think one guy underperforming for us against the guy who is just like him but… better in basically every way, is really the reason we lost. I’d put the loss way more on injuries than anything else.
I think the most impressive thing to me this post-season is how mature the Spurs are. They seemed like they were basically where we were 2 years ago when we lost to Luka and Dallas, but WAY more prepared for the pressure. I wonder if that’s just Pop diff…
Shai also took blame really well saying that after his bad games Chet didn’t come at him with a summer plan to get him better. His eq is off the charts, always taking blame on himself and praising teammates
The media emphasis on “this player performed badly” instead of “this player was outperformed by this other player who was so outstanding” is at the root of these questions. I’m tired of it, too much hate in the world.
It’s a shame people have so much hate for Shai man he’s such a good guy
SGA is a great Person man, elite human being
at 19 seconds you can very clearly see Shai’s eyebrows recognize that the reporter is trying to set him up for a trap
i hate shai the player but man shai the person is someone to look up to. i love how he takes his time with his responses and he just has the most eloquent responses
man, im an sga hater but this guy is great. he’s super thoughtful & mature. i hate the guy, then i watch a postgame presser, & i feel guilty for the hate.
He should come back next year with the fro.
I’ve been a Shai hater for a while now but I really respect and admire the way he seems to be handling this loss
SGA is an incredible player and an incredibly solid dude.
I would love this guy if his playstyle weren’t so genuinely embarrassing and disgraceful to the game of basketball.
I promise you don’t have to be this dramatic and if you want to be, remember you’re a jazz fan bro lmao worry about how genuinely embarrassing and disgraceful your team is.
as a jazz fan, seeing other jazz fans talk crazy about shai is hilarious, because look at keyonte george’s FTR increase between this and last season lol. he grifts for fouls too, its the right thing to do to win games. but i got other jazz fans saying “nahhh nahh it aint the same”
I didnt recognize that was him dude has some nice hair
He knows what a pro needs
I love how he holds himself more accountable thank anything. I’ll give him that , he played his heart out in game 7.
I want to hate this guy, but he says things like this and it makes me like him more. Great leader
He’s right
Well what is he going to say “we need to investigate why he turned into Julius randle”?
“He’ll figure it out…in Milwaukee “
I know people hate the flopping but man I love this guy, easily my favourite player in the league (behind Giannis because we’ll look at my favourite team). Definitely wish he wouldn’t flop, but it’s so blown out of proportion.