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On Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a major step forward in their continued push for an NBA championship. They gave the Minnesota Timberwolves no chance in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, clamping them down from the tip-off en route to taking a 124-94 victory — punching their ticket to the NBA Finals in the process.
This is quite the vindication for a Thunder team that was doubted by many even though they won 68 games in the regular season. Many wanted to see that they can do their damage when it matters the most, and now, they are on the cusp of winning it all — needing just four more wins against one of the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks to do so.
However, Chet Holmgren is not feeling any sort of satisfaction from the Thunder's triumph over the Timberwolves. He knows that this simply puts them one step closer to the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
“I wouldn’t say it’s satisfying. It’s a step in the journey. We still have some season to play. Never take it for granted cause I couldn’t even walk for two months,” Holmgren said after the game, per Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder.
This is the kind of mentality that the Thunder will have to hold on to in what remains of their playoff run. Holmgren, in particular, seems to have recovered all the way from his struggles during the Denver Nuggets series. Holmgren had his fair share of embarrassing moments back then, but like the rest of this Thunder squad, they are unfazed, always looking forward to how to redeem themselves in the very next play.
And like the great Kobe Bryant once said, “job's not finished”. As much as advancing to the NBA Finals is cause for celebration for the Thunder, Holmgren and company know that they have four more wins to earn before reaching the mountaintop.
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Chet Holmgren, Thunder near the NBA's mountaintop
It may have required a full-scale rebuild, but the Thunder have finally returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. A big reason for this is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's development into an MVP-level player, but the roles Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — homegrown stars — have played cannot be discounted.
Holmgren, in particular, doesn't appear to be reeling from any ill-effects of the injury he suffered earlier in the season. With the Pacers and Knicks, the Thunder's possible matchups in the NBA Finals, boasting the services of stretch fives and quick guards, OKC will be relying on Holmgren a lot to protect the paint. And as we've seen for most of this year's playoffs thus far, he appears to be up for the job.
