Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between San Antonio and Oklahoma City is in the books, and before we get to some takeaways and a best bet, I think we all need to pause for a moment just to catch our collective breath.
Wow.
It was going to be hard to live up to the hype and anticipation going into this series. However, Game 1 not only lived up to it but somehow exceeded it.
For the first time in 50 years, a Western Conference finals game went to double overtime, with the Spurs winning 122-115 in an instant classic.
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The story of Game 1 was Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama, who dominated with 41 points and 24 rebounds, including a long, clutch 3-pointer to tie the game in the final seconds of the first overtime.
However, with Game 2 set for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, we have to turn our attention to the player that spent a lot of Game 1 defending Wembanyama. This player would have been the story had the Thunder won, and he might be worth a bet at long-shot odds to win MVP of this series.
That player is Alex Caruso.
Caruso is giving up roughly a foot in height to the towering Wembanyama but spent most of Game 1 pestering the Spurs’ big man, while also scoring 31 points and connecting on eight 3-pointers.
The Thunder big men — Chet Holmgren and Isiah Hartenstein — seem ill-equipped to deal with Wembanyama, with Hartenstein playing just 12 of the 58 minutes, despite being a regular starter for the defending world champions all season.
In 2015, we saw Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala snag Finals MVP at similar odds and in a similar way. Iguodala was rewarded with MVP honors in large part for his defense against LeBron James, and it’s possible that if the Thunder rally to win this series, the voters could deem Caruso as the biggest reason why.
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot only 7-for-23 in Game 1, while Chet Holmgren was held to just eight points. The path is there for Caruso to emerge as a candidate for series MVP and, at 100–1 odds, this is a wager worth making — even if it is a small one.
PICK: Alex Caruso (+10000) Western Conference Finals MVP
