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On his lone trip to the free-throw line, LA's half-empty crowd pumped up its artificial noise. On the broadcast, you can hear the infamous 'The Wall' chanting 'flopper' at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. At this point, the trolling is water off a duck's back for the reigning MVP.
The Oklahoma City Thunder handled their own destiny with a 128-110 win over the LA Clippers. Receiving little outside help to fight off the San Antonio Spurs, they clinched the NBA's first seed on their own.
Gilgeous-Alexander played bus driver mode. He finished with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 11 assists. He shot 0-of-1 on free throws. It was the first time all season he didn't have a make from the charity stripe.
Showered with questions about the Thunder clinching the first seed and what that means for their back-to-back title ambitions, Gilgeous-Alexander did address the ongoing stigma that has grown attached to him over the years — does it bother him that he's labeled a free-throw merchant?
Nope. Not even a little bit.
Gilgeous-Alexander talked about the importance of getting to the line — even if it comes with a bad rep. Every great scorer does it. You can't average 30-plus points without inherently getting to the free-throw line a bunch. It's the secretive fourth level of scoring that turns All-Star players into perennial MVP candidates.
"All the best scorers get to the free-throw line. I'm after being the best. It's that simple," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Whatever it takes to be the best is what I'm trying to go out there and do. Free throws are a part of the game. If I get fouled, I get fouled. If I don't get fouled, I try to make the shot. That's how you play basketball."
Yep. That's right. Look through NBA history if you don't believe Gilgeous-Alexander. And the fact of the matter is, he doesn't even have the best whistle in the league to warrant the amount of vitriol thrown his way about his free-throw attempts. Especially considering just how drive-heavy of a scorer he is.
All the free-throw merchant talk boils down to opposing fanbases and teams being frustrated about OKC's historic dominance over the last two seasons. When you reach the all-time level that Gilgeous-Alexander is heading to, you're bound to pick up bundles of haters on the way there. Comes with the territory.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses 'free-throw merchant' criticisms
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