Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Says Thunder 2024 NBA Cup Loss Helped Prepare Team to Win Finals

SGA addressed last year’s Cup loss ahead of the semifinals of this year’s tournament.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder dropped the 2024 NBA Cup final against the Bucks, but rebounded to win the NBA Finals. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The NBA Cup was designed to inject some drama and increase the stakes to the middle of the regular season. For reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Cup has also proven to be some effective playoff preparation for the young Thunder.

Last year’s Oklahoma City team didn’t lose often, going 68–14 in the regular season and 16–7 in the postseason en route to the first NBA championship since the franchise relocated from Seattle. A rare loss last year came to the Bucks in the NBA Cup final—a tough 97–81 defeat dominated by Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the difficult loss gave the Thunder some valuable experience, their leader said.

“It definitely helped. It for sure helped. Losing in general helps all the time,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Andscape in a story published this week. “It’s easy to learn from losing. It definitely just showed us the formula for losing. The way we played that night, we didn’t give what the game required and it showed us that.

“And I think that prepared us to go into the playoffs having to play for something. It showed us before the schemes, before the scouting report, before the making shots, missing shots, the personnel, you’ve got to bring a certain level of intensity, focus and fight to the game if you want a chance to win.”

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The Thunder are back in NBA Cup contention after a dominant start to the season

Losses may be good teachable moments, but the Thunder don’t seem to believe they need many lessons to start the season. At 24–1, the defending champions are off to a historic start, putting them on pace to shatter the 2015–16 Warriors’ record 73–9 mark.

This weekend they also have the chance to play themselves back into the NBA Cup final. Oklahoma City takes on the Spurs in one of two semifinal matchups in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The winner of the Western Conference matchup will take on the winner of the earlier Knicks vs. Magic game.

Knicks-Magic tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET, with Thunder-Spurs following at 9 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on Prime Video. The NBA Cup championship game will take place on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

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