Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throw breakdown in Game 1: Complete analysis of all 13 whistles in Thunder star's favor

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew 13 fouls and shot 14 free throws in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 114-88 Game 1 win at home on Tuesday. The Minnesota Timberwolves expressed their frustration with the officiating from the beginning of the game, including Anthony Edwards, who was given a technical foul for tossing the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander while the MVP favorite was laying on the ground.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots more free throws than almost any other player in the league, and drawing fouls has become a big part of his game. He and the Thunder leaned into that in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, shooting five more free throws than the Timberwolves and making six more than their opponent did.

The 6-foot-6 guard drives the ball more than any other player in the league, resulting in more foul calls for him than any of his peers. However, players and fans across the league have thrown shade at Gilgeous-Alexander for playing to draw fouls instead of solely to score on his drives. Regardless, his free throws helped the Thunder grow their lead, resulting in the blowout victory.

We went quarter by quarter to determine which calls were actually fouls and which ones were embellished by Gilgeous-Alexander.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Game 1 free throws breakdown

First Quarter

Just over a minute into the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the right elbow off of a screen and faked a mid-range jumpshot, getting Minnesota center Rudy Gobert to jump. Gobert found himself within the Thunder guard's landing zone and Gilgeous-Alexander drew contact when he went up to shoot. A defender can't be within a player's landing zone, so this was the right call.

A little bit more than one minute later, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove down the middle of the lane. Mike Conley tried to strip the ball from him, but the veteran guard caught too much of Gilgeous-Alexander's arm instead of the ball, making this another correct call.

With a little over eight minutes left in the quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander drove into a crowd in the paint. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels were both there to contest his layup, but there was no real contact as the Thunder guard fell to the floor. This was the first call that could be brought into question. This is also the foul call where Edwards picked up a technical foul for tossing the ball at his opponent.

The very next possession, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove against Julius Randle. There was no illegal body contact, but Randle had his arms down low and the likely MVP mimicked a rip-through move made popular by his former mentor, Chris Paul. This likely wouldn't be a foul in a more physical game, but is technically illegal contact. This is another favorable call that the Thunder's leader received.

Second Quarter

With less than a minute before halftime, McDaniels was guarding Gilgeous-Alexander as he came down the court. The Timberwolves' point-of-attack defender impeded the guard's path and pushed him off balance as he was trying to use a screen from Chet Holmgren, and the officials correctly called the blocking foul.

On the ensuing inbound, Gilgeous-Alexander slipped on his way to go get the ball. Edwards found himself standing over the MVP finalist while he was trying to get up. The official took exception to that when Edwards refused to give his opponent space to get up, but this is another questionable call that would have been ignored in a more physical game.

Third Quarter

At the beginning of the second half, Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were fighting for a loose ball after the Timberwolves guard lost it. Edwards plowed into his opponent, sending him to the floor. Intentional or not, this was absolutely a foul and was correctly called by the official.

With a less than nine minutes to go in the quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the left against McDaniels. While he took a step-back jump shot, Gilgeous-Alexander's and McDaniels' feet made contact, but it wasn't enough to hinder the shot in any way, making it another call that could be brought into question.

With less than four minutes left, Gilgeous-Alexander drove against Donte DiVincenzo, who is known as a handsy defender. He made a move for the ball as the Thunder guard spun, but there was not enough contact on the arms or through the body to make it a no-doubt foul.

On the next Oklahoma City Thunder possession, Gilgeous-Alexander drove against his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Thunder All-Star lost his balance and fell, but the official called a foul on Alexander-Walker for the marginal contact that was made. This might be the most questionable call of the game, but it was challenged by Minnesota and overturned.

With just over a minute left in the quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander drove left against Edwards, drawing contact as he went up to shoot. In a more physical game, this foul likely would not have been called, and Edwards stared incredulously at the official after he was given another foul. However, Gilgeous-Alexander has been drawing this contact all season and gets the call more often than not.

Fourth Quarter

After a steal by the Thunder with just over seven minutes left in the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove against McDaniels on the fast break. It what was his biggest embellishment of the night, the Thunder's leader drew a foul on the Timberwolves wing as he fell to the ground, making his layup for an and-one opportunity. McDaniels made enough contact to warrant a foul here.

With five and a half minutes left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander caught McDaniels in the same position that Randle was in earlier in the game. The Thunder guard ripped through once again on his drive and drew more contact. The foul, McDaniels' sixth, was called correctly given the severity of the contact that was made.

Does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get a favorable whistle?

Based on our analysis, there were five legitimate fouls against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that were called during Game 1. However, the other eight are questionable to varying degrees. Fans have complained about the calls that the MVP favorite gets all season, but fail to realize that he gets more calls because he drives to the basket more than anyone else.

In a game where the Timberwolves shot more than 50 three-pointers, the Thunder were committed to attacking the basket and playing physically, as they have done all season. This results in more calls being awarded to them than almost any other team. If the Timberwolves want a more "fair" whistle, they need to put more pressure on Oklahoma City's defenders in Game 2.