Alexander has scored 30+ points and 5+ assists 12 times in the playoffs, ranking first in history

On June 19, in the history of the NBA playoffs, the double explosion of scoring and assists often becomes the moment when superstars rewrite the record. In the 2025 playoffs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder officially surpassed the 11-season record held by Michael Jordan (1992) and LeBron James (2018) with 12 single-game "30+scores and 5+asses", officially surpassing the 11-time record in a single season held by Michael Jordan (1992) and LeBron James (2018) and ranked first in history. This milestone not only marks the rise of the new generation of players, but also reflects the dominance of all-round defenders in the changes in the basketball era.

**From Jordan to James: The baseline of the legend**

Jordan's 11 games of the 1992 playoffs is a classic template for "scoring machine" and "critical moment killer". Facing the Trail Blazers' finals G1, his shrugging action after 6 three-pointers in the first half became an eternal picture, and the average number of 35.8 points and 6.8 assists per game in the series interprets what "offense and defense are integrated". Ten years later, when James replicated this feat in 2018, he showed a completely different style - he used a tank-like breakthrough to connect the Cavaliers' team, and in 8 40+ points in the playoffs in a single season, he gave 5+ assists at the same time, almost dragging the weak Cavaliers into the finals with his own strength. The two superstars used 11-game benchmarks to define the all-round standards of different eras.

**Alexander's record-breaking path: the peak of the technical guard**

This season's playoffs, Alexander combines mid-distance art and organizational ability to the extreme. In the Western Conference semi-finals, he faced Jokic's defense replacement and scored 37 points and 9 assists with a true shooting percentage of 62.1%, of which 5 assists were converted into three-pointers, perfectly cracking the double-team strategy. In the second round of the series against the Mavericks, he reached 30+5 in six consecutive games, including a 41-point and 8-assisted reversal battle. Unlike Jordan who relies on explosive power and James focuses on strength, Alexander has formed a modern guard template with the change in rhythm at a height of 1.98 meters and the defensive coverage of 213 cm wingspan. Thunder coach Mark Degenut commented: "He is like a precision computer, and he can always find the weakest defense 0.1 second."

**The password of the era behind the data**

In-depth analysis of this record can bring a glimpse of the trajectory of the NBA's tactical evolution. Jordan Times only accounts for 12% of players averaging 5+ assists per game, while this proportion rose to 27% in 2025. Rule modifications (such as three seconds of defense and hand-checking restrictions) have greatly increased the operating space of outside ball holders. Alexander averaged 8.4 breakthrough passes (3rd in the league) and 1.3 "assisted three-pointers" (2nd guard in history), which is the product of "space basketball". But what cannot be ignored is the return of his traditional technology - this season's playoffs, 46% of his scores came from mid-range and hit a shooting percentage of 51.2%, which is a set of deadly weapons than the contemporary magic ball guard.

**Controversy and Challenge: Debate of Value**

Some commentators pointed out that the increase in playoff rounds in the modern era (only 5 games in the first round of the Jordan era) and the decline in defensive intensity may dilute record value. But the data refutes this: Alexander made 30+5 in 12 games this season, with 9 of his opponents ranked in the top ten in the playoffs for defensive efficiency, and the G7 against the Timberwolves even scored 36 points and 7 assists under the control of McDaniels and Edwards. In contrast, Jordan's opponents in the 1992 playoffs were only 9th in the league in average defensive efficiency, and James's opponent in the 2018 Eastern Conference playoffs had only one top ten defensive team. Thunder team reporter Royce Young emphasized: "He made this data in the era when he emphasized the most important defense swap, but the difficulty was actually even higher."

**Future Outlook: Records are just the starting point**

Alexander, who was only 26 years old, still has room for improvement. His playoff PER value (29.1) has approached Jordan's peak period (29.4), and his assist rate (32.7%) has surpassed Curry's same period (28.9%). With Chet Homgren's growth and the potential strengthening of the Thunder management, he is expected to reach higher-dimensional achievements - such as becoming the first player after Bird to average 30+5+5 per game in a single season playoff and hit a 50%+ shooting percentage. The prophecy of legendary point guard Nash may be fulfilling: "He let me see the shadow of Dirk Nowitzki in 2005, but the pass keys have been upgraded to two versions."

When Alexander was asked about his feelings about breaking records at the Western Conference Finals press conference, his answer was quite meaningful: "These numbers will stay in the archives, but I care more about whether they are printed on the opponent's tactical board." This sentence may reveal the common point of great players: records are not the end, but the starting point that forces the next opponent to adjust the defense. Today, when basketball philosophy is transforming from "personal heroism" to "all-round creator", Alexander is writing his own chapter in a way that is most in line with the logic of the times.