Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on foul calls: ‘I can’t control how the refs blow the whistle’
Minnesota attempted 47 free throws compared to OKC’s 30. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander weighed in on if the narrative that OKC has a special whistle bothers him, especially on a night when the stats don’t support that.
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the OKC Thunder 112-107 in a game marked by fan frustration over officiating.Despite a narrative that he receives favorable calls, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted only eight free throws during the game.Anthony Edwards made crucial plays in the final minute, including a go-ahead three-pointer and a key steal from Gilgeous-Alexander.
MINNEAPOLIS — The sound of a whistle made Anthony Edwards’ head swing around.
He scanned the Target Center in search of its source: An official along the sideline opposite Minnesota’s bench who called Edwards for a loose ball foul.
But before Edwards could plead his case, he was interrupted by another sound. It came from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who still laid on the floor after being shoved by him during the foul in question.
“OK, come on,” Gilgeous-Alexander said as he shrugged his shoulders, insisting Edwards own up. “Come on.”
That was enough to silence Edwards, but not the nearly 19,000 Timberwolves fans inside the arena.
They voiced their displeasure, just like they did after every call throughout the night. And their complaints only ceased once Minnesota secured a 112-107 win, handing OKC (25-3) its second loss in its last three games.
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Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t take the opportunity to do some complaining of his own after the game, though. Not even when reminded of the fact that Minnesota attempted 47 free throws compared to 30 by OKC, which is often ridiculed for receiving favoritism from officials.
“I don’t care, not one bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of that narrative. “I can’t control how the refs blow the whistle ever. I’ve never been able to. Never been a ref. All I can do is play basketball, and that’s all I focus on. Try to win games and win championships.”
Gilgeous-Alexander already has one championship under his belt, along with an MVP award and three All-NBA first team selections.
It’s a bulletproof résumé for a player who’s only 27, and yet the basketball world still takes aim at him. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that those at Target Center followed suit.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s reception was ice cold even for Minneapolis, which was blanketed by snow the day before. His name could barely be heard from the public address announcer, as it was drowned out by boos.
That treatment continued throughout the night. And when a clear path foul was ultimately called on Edwards shoving Gilgeous-Alexander with 9:42 left in the second quarter, a familiar chant spread throughout the arena.
“Free throw merchant,” the crowd hollered. “Free throw merchant.”
Fans were critical of every lowering of Gilgeous-Alexander’s shoulder on drives. Every use of his off hand to create space for pull-ups. Every snap-back of his head when he felt contact. Things he certainly does, although the same can be said for plenty of elite scorers.
But their keen eyes turned blind to the facts. Like how Gilgeous-Alexander only attempted eight free throws all night, two of which came from the pair of technical fouls that led to Minnesota head coach Chris Finch’s ejection midway through the first quarter. Or how Julius Randle attempted twice as many free throws.
Those who push the narrative that the Thunder’s entire team gets a special whistle also conveniently overlook conflicting stats.
OKC’s offense is said to have an overwhelming advantage in the free-throw department. But it ranks 16th in free-throw attempts per game (24.7) and has only attempted more shots at the charity stripe in exactly half of its 28 games this season.
OKC’s undeniably-physical defense is said to get away with fouls. But it’s called for a personal foul on 18.3% of its defensive plays, which is the 11th-highest percentage in the league.
And the most baseless claim is that OKC plays unethical hoops. But it’s a fundamentally-sound group that takes care of the ball, ranking second in turnovers per game (12.6), and takes good shots, ranking third in true shooting percentage (61.%).
“When you win a bunch of games and you’re the current champions, there’s always something,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso said of OKC’s critics. “For us, there’s not a lot of (holes) in the armor. I think this organization does a good job of bringing in the right people. Good-character people. People who play basketball the right way, with the right intentions, and play to win.
“When those things happen, people don’t have the usual things to fall back on like, ‘This guy is an a–hole or he treats people the wrong way or he’s just trying to score points and get stats.’ This is the new era of chatter online. They find something to talk about with our team.”
Meanwhile, OKC didn’t try to find an easy out when explaining its loss on Friday.
The Thunder got out-worked on the glass, surrendering 18 offensive rebounds that led to 29 second-chance points. Its half-court offense struggled at times, especially from behind the arc. And it simply didn’t execute as well down the stretch as the Timberwolves, who launched an 8-0 run in the final 53 seconds.
The two biggest plays came from Edwards, who drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer over Cason Wallace with 37.7 seconds remaining. He then shut down the reigning MVP on the other end, stealing the ball away from Gilgeous-Alexander to secure a well-deserved win.
And yet Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t hang his head after the loss. He didn’t swing it around to avoid looking defeat in the eyes either.
He just owned up.
“Every night has controllables you can take care of that help you put yourself in a position to win the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s as simple as it always is. We just didn’t do enough of that to win tonight.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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