After a Game 7 no-show, Chet Holmgren has become the poster child for why the Oklahoma City Thunder failed to go back-to-back. He's spent an entire summer being ostracized online. From viral jokes about his four points he put up in an elimination scenario to the two pounds he gained over the offseason.
But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believed he deserved the biggest piece of the blame pie. Not Holmgren or Jalen Williams or Ajay Mitchell or anybody else. The two-time MVP winner wants all of OKC's faults to fall on his broad shoulders.
In an interview with 'Time Magazine', Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on their epic seven-game duel with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. Up 3-2 in the series, the Thunder simply ran out of juice
to close things out. You can't rely on your bench to win you three games against the fellow juggernaut.
"I don’t think it’s on Chet," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I carry a lot of the weight. The only way you can truly fail is if you don’t learn from the moment. I know the type of guy he is. And I know what type of worker he is. He’ll definitely do it."
The Thunder needed more from all three of their All-NBA talents. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a pedestrian 25.9 points on 40.9% shooting; Holmgren faded into the background as just a 10-point scorer; Williams played one entire game healthy before a fourth hamstring strain essentially sidelined him for the rest of the year.
In Gilgeous-Alexander's case, he needed to be the super-efficient 30-point machine he usually is. Instead, he had arguably his worst playoff series to date. The Spurs went all out to stop the two-time MVP winner. Anytime he had the ball, he was swarmed by a bunch of super-athletic and elite perimeter defenders. Even though he put up points, he had to really work for every bucket he had.
Of the seven games, Gilgeous-Alexander only shot above 50% from the field twice. The second time happened in Game 7. He put on his Superman cape for 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting and nine assists. Alas, that wasn't enough as San Antonio's role players stepped up big time on the road to punch their ticket to the 2026 NBA Finals.
"The MVP of the league waited until Game 7 to have a good game," Gilgeous-Alexander admitted.
It's good to see Gilgeous-Alexander try to take the brunt of the criticism. But it's kinda too late for that. Holmgren has been absolutely destroyed in the NBA world. To the point that his public opinion has changed. Sure, he was an All-NBA talent. But most folks remember him for getting absolutely punked by Victor Wembanyama on the biggest stage.
Let's see how Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and the rest of the Thunder respond in the 2026-27 season. They're entering as co-title favorites — alongside the Spurs. If everything goes chalk, OKC will have a chance to exact revenge for its 2026 NBA playoff exit.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes blame for OKC's 2026 NBA playoff loss to Spurs
