Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as the face of Oklahoma City’s revival and storm through a rigorous Western Conference, has been told of a countless amount of records. That his Thunder is the youngest to do this and that. That it's the first since team since (insert team) to (insert feat). He and his team have linked themselves or leapfrogged too many predecessors.
So after achieving 61 wins on Thursday with a 125-104 against the Grizzlies — the franchise’s regular-season crown — you had to know what Gilgeous-Alexander would say.
“It’s cool. It doesn’t mean much,” he said, cracking a smile as he channeled the mantra of Michael Jordan's Bulls that went 72-10 in the 1995-96 season. “My goal, the team’s ultimate goal, is not to set a franchise record, it’s to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.”
(Boy, the soliloquy he must have prepared if the Thunder wins the title this season.)
Still, 61 wins is a lot. More than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook ever accomplished together. Only 54 teams have won so many games since the merger. None were as young as this Thunder team.
They’re gonna have that superlative attached to virtually everything they do this season.
And Gilgeous-Alexander knows that, until the Thunder kicks down doors on its way to a championship, its peach fuzz won’t be taken as seriously as many of the other teams who’ve pulled off the same feats.
“April, everything kind of resets,” Jalen Williams said.
Coach Mark Daigneault, didn’t stop at echoing their sentiments, choosing to zoom out a bit.
“This team has been taken down to the studs and rebuilt,” he said. “It’s not like there’s carry-over players from previous eras that have continued this. It’s a complete rebuild. To take it from the ground back up and to then set the franchise record is impressive.”
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder win record 'doesn't mean much' to SGA without NBA title
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