Nearly a decade has passed since the Thunder made it to the West Finals. The last time it happened was in 2016, with a squad led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Now, after years of playoff disappointment, they finally have a chance to do it again with a new group. Leading the charge? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, an injury scare during tonight’s Nuggets clash nearly put their Finals ambition on hold yet again.

3-2 up, the Thunder headed into Game 6 hoping to put this series to bed and advance to the Conference Finals. But something concerning happened at the opening minute of the second quarter. With his team trailing by three points, Shai matched up one-on-one against Westbrook. As Russ went for a steal, he swiped for the ball and accidentally hit SGA’s right hand, leaving him in immense agony. The OKC star immediately passed the rock and could be seen grimacing in pain.

As the game continued, Shai avoided dribbling the ball with his right hand for the next couple of plays. He was clearly hurt. Even the on-air announcers pointed out his misery on Live TV, “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hurt his hand. He is in some serious pain.” Seconds later, the MVP frontrunner missed an easy mid-range shot, once again causing concern among eyewitnesses. “The bank shot won’t fall as Gilgeous-Alexander again continues to pull on his right hand.” The announcer remarked.

Fortunately, Shai’s injury was not severe enough to force him out of the game. He continued playing and helped his team take a lead later in the quarter. By the time first half finished, OKC was up three points and SGA had already scored a team-high 14 points and three rebounds. But if the superstar guard’s hand bothers him in the second half, his team is well equipped to win one on the road without him.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows trust in teammates as he highlights Thunder’s major strength

Well, SGA has clearly been the best player on his squad all year, and maybe even in the entire league. He averaged 32.7 points during the regular season and is the frontrunner to win MVP. But he is not the only star on his team. In fact, OKC is one of the few teams comfortable enough to use a ten-man rotation this late in the postseason. Just proves how deep their roster is.

Sure enough, this has been one of the biggest strengths of this team all year and one of the reasons why they have stayed so healthy. Shai even pointed it out after winning Game 5, “We’re fresh because of it. We like to play fast, so being fresh helps and it’s just different personnel to throw at people and ultimately it makes us all stronger. You know you’re only as good as your weakest link, and all ten of our guys are ready to go no matter the stage.”

So, even if SGA is unable to continue tonight’s game because of his hand injury, the Thunder cannot be counted out, as they will still have a lot of firepower left. That’s what makes them such a lethal threat for the Nuggets and every other team in the league. Do you agree?