WITH 6:56 LEFT in the third quarter of what should have been a fairly routine game in early March, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down an 18-foot jumper to give the Thunder what should have been an insurmountable 84-60 lead over Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Oklahoma City, like it had been all season, was cruising.
Twenty-four hours earlier, the Thunder had become the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, fueled by their young Big Three in Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. The Suns, behind their own Big Three, were tied for sixth, just a game out of the play-in tournament.