Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the hero of Wednesday when the Oklahoma City Thunder headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2013. The Thunder star was awarded the Western Conference Finals MVP award for his stellar performance throughout the series.

Bernard King was one of the rare talents in the 1980s whose individual brilliance never quite translated into championship success or even leading his respective team to the conference finals. Still, the 6'7" small forward's peak was so impactful that he pushed none other than Larry Bird in the 1983-84 MVP race.

The Oklahoma City Thunder earned their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2012 with a blowout 124-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, and head coach Mark Daigneault praised his players for their approach to the closeout game.

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff career-high 40 points, and All-NBA forward Jalen Williams had a playoff career-high 34 points for the Thunder. Oklahoma City held Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards to an uneventful 16 points and Julius Randle to five points.

Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports recently listed and ranked the Americans most likely to break the streak, and probable future Maverick Cooper Flagg was in second behind only Anthony Edwards and ahead of Cade Cunningham, Jayson Tatum, and Jalen Brunson.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to their first NBA Finals as a franchise since 2012 after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. OKC will face either the Pacers (who lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-1) or the Knicks in the Finals,

Shaquille O'Neal recently recorded a snippet of "The Big Podcast with Shaq" alongside his co-host Adam Lefkoe. In the short video, the two discussed their predictions for NBA Finals MVP. There are currently four teams remaining in the race to the NBA Finals: the Indiana Pacers,

Heading into this offseason, the San Antonio Spurs are among the most interesting teams to keep an eye on. Armed with high-level talent and a bevy of assets, they are in a position to swing a big move that could instantly put them in the title conversation.