basketball

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds one historic edge Victor Wembanyama still cannot match

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MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds a historic edge over Victor Wembanyama as the Thunder face the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds one historic edge Victor Wembanyama still cannot match originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got 83 first-place votes for MVP this season.

Victor Wembanyama received five. The numbers alone show a significant gap. NBA history suggests the on-court result could follow a similar pattern.

The MVP winner has historically held a clear advantage in conference finals matchups against non-MVP opponents. That trend puts Gilgeous-Alexander and the 64-win Thunder in a favorable position against Wembanyama and the 62-win Spurs when the Western Conference finals open Monday in Oklahoma City. Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player to win consecutive MVP awards after averaging 31.

1 points and 6. 6 assists during the regular season. He extended his record streak of 20-point games to 140.