SGA, Thunder Praised As 'Laser Focused' by HC Daigneault After Advancing to NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder earned their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2012 with a blowout 124-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, and head coach Mark Daigneault praised his players for their approach to the closeout game.
"The focus through the distraction of a closeout game to go to the Finals is what was most impressive," Daigneault said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I mean, they were laser focused today, and that allowed our best to come to the surface."
Wednesday's Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals was hardly a competition from the very beginning, as the Thunder jumped out to a 26-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. The nine points were the fewest for the Timberwolves in any quarter this season as well as in franchise playoff history. Oklahoma City forced a whopping 21 turnovers in the game and led by as many as 39 points as it cruised to victory.
"It almost seemed like we did everything we were supposed to do," Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after dropping 34 points and eight assists on his way to earning Western Conference Finals MVP. "We made it tough on the guys we were supposed to make it tough on. Well, I thought it was tough for everybody [on the Timberwolves]. We were clicking on all cylinders as far as what their tendencies are, what our game plan is, how we want to impact the game, how we want to impact the ball. Then from there, we were able to just run and have fun and be ourselves. It really starts with defense for us."
Considering the youth of the Thunder, their level of focus is even more impressive. MacMahon noted that they are the second-youngest team ever to advance to the NBA Finals with an average age of 25.6 years old, trailing only the Portland Trail Blazers' 1976-77 championship team.
The Thunder will now await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. The Pacers hold a 3-1 series lead entering Thursday night's Game 5 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
