Thunder Hadapi Lakers pada Semifinal Wilayah Barat NBA 2026

Oklahoma City Thunder akan menjamu Los Angeles Lakers dalam laga pembuka semifinal Wilayah Barat NBA pada Selasa, 6 Mei 2026, di Oklahoma City. Pertemuan ini menjadi panggung besar bagi skuad muda Thunder yang menyandang status unggulan pertama untuk menghadapi dominasi sejarah dan bintang veteran Lakers.

Meskipun Thunder menyapu bersih empat pertemuan di musim reguler dengan selisih rata-rata 29 poin, sorotan tertuju pada duel antara MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dan LeBron James. Bintang utama Oklahoma City tersebut menyatakan kesiapannya bertanding melawan salah satu pemain terbaik sepanjang sejarah liga.

"Playing against an all-time great like that, you get up for those those games, regardless of when they are," kata Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, pemain Oklahoma City Thunder.

Chet Holmgren menambahkan bahwa sejarah besar yang dimiliki Lakers tidak akan mengubah pendekatan timnya di lapangan saat seri dimulai nanti.

"I think the beautiful thing about this league is that it has a lot of history. But at the end of the day, whether they’re wearing purple or pink out there, it’s not going to affect how we need to play and approach it," ujar Chet Holmgren, All-Star Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pelatih Lakers, JJ Redick, mengakui ketangguhan Thunder sebagai salah satu tim terbaik dalam sejarah NBA dan memastikan skuadnya menaruh hormat tinggi pada lawan mereka.

"It’s one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history. That’s the reality. They are. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us," kata JJ Redick, pelatih Los Angeles Lakers.

Sisi pertahanan Lakers melalui Marcus Smart mengidentifikasi Gilgeous-Alexander sebagai tantangan defensif nomor satu di NBA saat ini yang harus diredam secara kolektif.

"It’s going to be a challenge for not just me, but everybody on this team to stay out of foul trouble, keep him off the line as much as possible, and then just continue to shut him down. It’s tough, but it can be done," ujar Marcus Smart, pemain Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James yang kini berusia 41 tahun tetap menjadi motor serangan vital setelah tampil impresif saat menyingkirkan Houston di babak sebelumnya.

"I just went over to him and was like, you’re insane. Like, the stuff that you’re doing isn’t, it’s ... it’s not normal, especially age whatever. He’s been in the league for 23 years. The way he demands a game, the way he can control a game — it’s impressive," kata Austin Reaves, guard Los Angeles Lakers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turut memberikan penghormatan atas kontribusi panjang James terhadap dunia bola basket internasional.

"We can sit here all day and talk about things he’s done for the game. The guy’s one of the best players to ever pick up a basketball, like in the history of human beings," ujar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, pemain Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ia juga mengakui bahwa meski sang veteran sudah melewati masa jayanya, kemampuannya di lapangan tetap sangat berbahaya bagi lawan.

"You guys don’t need me to sit here and tell you how great of a player LeBron James is … obviously he’s a little bit out of his prime, but he’s still very, very capable," kata Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, pemain Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kondisi skuad kedua tim terganggu oleh cedera pemain kunci, di mana Lakers dipastikan tampil tanpa Luka Doncic yang mengalami masalah hamstring kiri. Sementara itu, Thunder juga kehilangan Jalen Williams yang belum pulih dari cedera hamstring kiri, sehingga Ajay Mitchell diprediksi kembali masuk ke susunan pemain utama.