Even though it’s his third playoff trip, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had yet to make his postseason debut in front of an OKC crowd. That changed on Sunday in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 1 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The MVP finalist finished with 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. This included a pair of massive buckets down the stretch to tie the contest and give OKC the lead on a difficult and-1 opportunity. After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke highly of the home crowd. The Thunder have a reputation for having one of the best playoff atmospheres and that was true in Game 1. Each time Gilgeous-Alexander went to the free-throw line, he was showered with loud MVP chants by the rowdy fans. The crowd also barked during several points of the contest in request from several Thunder players who’ve made the noise their signature call after wins. “It was amazing, they were exactly what I expected,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Even when I wasn’t here and I played here the arena was always electric, always had so much energy and they were perfect.” This could be the first of several home playoff games for the 25-year-old in OKC. The first-seeded Thunder have a shot at a deep playoff run and will be a postseason fixture for the foreseeable future with their young core. Mark Daigneault believes lengthy playoff rotation could be advantage for ThunderRecap: Mark Daigneault, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe speak after Game 1 win over PelicansNBA Twitter reacts to Thunder's 94-92 Game 1 win over Pelicans Email Sign up Like this article? Sign up for the OKC Thunder Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning An error has occured Please re-enter your email address. Thanks for signing up! You'll now receive the top OKC Thunder Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.
Source: https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/202 ... off-crowd/