The Oklahoma City Thunder have excelled throughout the season, topping the NBA charts with an impressive 68–14 record under the guidance of league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite being relatively inexperienced in deep playoff runs—the team fell in the Western Conference semifinals during their initial playoff journey last year under coach Mark Daigneault—they have convincingly shown their mettle in this year’s playoffs.
OKC made quick work of the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round and then endured a challenging seven-game series against the seasoned Denver Nuggets to advance to the conference finals. Following their Game 4 victory over the Timberwolves—a narrow 128–126 win on the road after a significant defeat in Game 3—Coach Daigneault expressed his confidence in the team’s predictability and resilience.
“I learned nothing new today,” the 40-year-old coach stated post-game. “It’s easy to place your bets on this team. We had a couple of ordinary days leading up to the game, a routine shootaround, and there was a prevailing feeling that we would show up differently today, which we did. So, there wasn’t anything new I discovered about their resilience or perseverance.”
Nonetheless, Oklahoma City is not without areas for growth. Daigneault admitted that this level of playoff competition is uncharted territory for his squad and each game brings new challenges. However, they have maintained their composure admirably even when confronted with various obstacles in recent games.
“We’re still maturing,” he remarked. “All of these are novel experiences for us… but when it comes to resilience, these are the last guys you need to worry about.”
Having split the recent games in Minnesota, Oklahoma City is poised to conclude the Western Conference finals on their home court this Wednesday evening. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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