The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their winning ways on Monday evening with a thrilling win over the Denver Nuggets at home. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may very well have solidified his MVP case in this one, knocking down two monster three-pointers in the closing seconds to help secure the win for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City was playing without several key pieces in this one, including Alex Caruso, who has been in and out of the lineup all year with various injuries. Recently, Caruso stopped by the “Pardon my Take” podcast, and one of the questions discussed was the Thunder's inability to win the NBA Cup over the last two years, despite making it to the tournament in Las Vegas both times.
“When the lights get as bright as possible in the NBA Cup, he chokes. You're a choker,” joked host Big Cat.
Caruso then made a joke at his own expense, simultaneously roasting the NBA Cup in the process.
“When the stage is at its middest, he cannot step up to the plate,” he said, per Big Cat on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, many share Caruso's opinion that the NBA Cup stakes have still not been raised high enough for fans to truly get invested in the event.
This past season, the Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the semifinal round of the cup, in what went on to become their first of four losses to San Antonio this season, with many anticipating that a Western Conference Finals matchup between the two teams could be on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have resumed their dominance over the last couple of weeks after a brief rough patch, with Gilgeous-Alexander returning to form after an extended injury absence due to an abdominal strain./
When the Thunder are healthy, no team in the NBA can come close to matching their depth, and Caruso is a big part of what the team brings to the table on both ends of the floor when he's healthy.
Caruso is hoping to show up once again when the lights are actually at their brightest during the NBA Finals in June.
