10 days can be a longtime in sport, in the NBA it can prove to be a lifetime.
The two best teams of the NBA season, the Oklahoma Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, faced-off in a highly anticipated clash on Thursday night – and it was not close.
Nine days ago, the Cavs edged out OKC in a thriller, but just over a week on it ended in a devastating defeat for the Cavs as the Thunder underlined the belief that this might be their time.
MVP favourite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team on a revenge mission that saw them beat up on the Eastern Conference leaders in a 134-114 victory.
Along with improving their record and making it identical to Cleveland at 34-6, the Thunder demonstrated to the rest of the league just how dominant they are with an early knockout.
SGA started fast, helping the Thunder overcome an early Cavs lead to stamp all over the visitors. The Cavs led 12-10 but scored just two more points in the opening quarter as OKC ran out to a 32-12 lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander ended the night with 40 points in just 29 minutes.
Okolohma’s win comes just nine days after their 129-122 loss to the Eastern Conference leaders, a contest that was a thriller with 30 lead changes and the winner not decided until the final minute.
Thursday night would be a very one-sided affair with the Cavs suffering their largest defecit of the season.
“They imposed their will in every sense,” a despondent Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said afterward.
“We knew it was coming. We knew their force was coming. That’s their identity. They imposed their identity. It was an avalanche, and we never responded.”
It would also be history for Gilgeous-Alexander who became the first player in OKC history to score 40 points inside 30 minutes according to ESPN, the 26-year-old added eight assists to his record-breaking performance.
“I was just playing basketball, the game I love,” SGA said. “I work hard. Try to give the game my all and see what it gives back to me.”
Atkinson went on to praise the Thunder even more, accepting they got wrecked in a physical fight today.
“It felt like seven pit bulls out there. Not five,” Atkinson said. “They were scratching, reaching — in a good sense. Their speed and athleticism, they kind of toppled us over. It was that simple.
“That’s their calling card. They’ve done it to a lot of teams. They dominated in every aspect.”
Meanwhile Cavs’ star Donovan Mitchell accepted responsibility for defeat, blaming his own lack of leadership for their loss.
“They just set the tone,” said Mitchell, who could only manage 11 points.
“We didn’t come ready to play. Put this one on me. As a leader, you’ve got to set the tone.
“That’s twice now against this team that I haven’t been that. When your leader’s not doing it, it trickles down.”
The two best teams now fittingly have identical records standing at 34-6 each.
For the Cavs now it is a trip to the Minnesota that awaits them, as they will take on the Timberwolves while OKC will visit Dallas and play the Mavericks.
