OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren could block his hometown team from winning an NBA championship.
Holmgren, a 7-foot-1 forward, has helped the Oklahoma City Thunder take a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. He scored 22 points in .
Now, he will play Game 3 on Saturday in the same building where he won his fourth state title for Minnehaha Academy in his final high school game.
鈥淎nytime I go home and play, it鈥檚 great to be able to play in front of friends, family, old coaches, old teammates,鈥� Holmgren said. 鈥淚 never take it for granted, and it鈥檚 definitely come full circle.鈥�
The Timberwolves weren't as good as they are now during Holmgren's childhood 鈥� they missed the playoffs every year from 2005 to 2017.
鈥淕rowing up, Minnesota was never in the playoffs, so that atmosphere was never really there in the city,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 insane right now.鈥�
Holmgren was a local celebrity as one of the nation鈥檚 top high school prospects. His high school coach, Lance Johnson, said it got crazy at times.
鈥淲e would go on road trips and high school and gyms would be packed,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here were games where we had him sneak him out of back doors. We pulled up in buses and there were people waiting to shake his hand.鈥�
Johnson, of course, shares that love for Holmgren. He said he will be conflicted heading into the weekend.
鈥淚 love Chet, I cheer for Chet, I love the Timberwolves, I cheer for the Timberwolves,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥滻t鈥檚 a nice, soft cushion to fall on if the Timberwolves possibly lose that Chet wins and OKC advances so I can continue to watch him.鈥�
Holmgren might have rubbed a few Timberwolves fans the wrong way when he dunked, then stared down Minnesota鈥檚 Donte DiVincenzo in Game 2 and got called for a technical for taunting. Still, Johnson said he expects that the reception for Holmgren will be warm.
鈥淚鈥檇 be surprised if he wasn鈥檛 cheered for,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 done nothing but make Minnesota people proud. He plays the game with a great attitude.鈥�
Johnson said Holmgren, though slightly built, has always been tough. Holmgren played through a groin injury his junior year in high school, then got checked out and he had to miss a month.
After a successful year at Gonzaga, Holmgren was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, but he missed his entire first year after breaking his foot in the offseason. He recovered to be runner-up in the rookie of the year balloting the next season.
Holmgren was off to a hot start this season when he broke a pelvic bone and missed 50 games. Johnson fully expected Holmgren to recover and play well, and he did. He's averaging 16.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the playoffs.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been so resilient throughout all his life that I knew he was going to come back,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 now playing better than he ever has.鈥�
Holmgren said it鈥檚 taken some work to fit back into a team that was winning without him, but his teammates made it easier.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 always control circumstances, but you can kind of control how you attack them,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 what I try to do.鈥�
Holmgren is resilient on the court, too. When he missed two free throws late of the Western Conference semifinals, he responded by going 7-for-7 at the line in a Game 2 victory. His two free throws at the end of the first half gave the Thunder the highest-scoring first half in NBA playoff history.
鈥淥ne of Chet鈥檚 best qualities is that he鈥檚 insatiable in terms of wanting to play well and wanting to compete well,鈥� Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 鈥淎nd I think you learn over time that it鈥檚 not a perfect game, and you have to be able to play through the imperfections of the game or the series, or whatever it is. And he鈥檚 learned that. He鈥檚 definitely more seasoned in that way.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
