Thunder can no longer hide in the playoff gates

A day earlier, after Thursday night’s victory in Philadelphia, the 76ers (133-114) were slapped. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander warned that his Lightningthe middle of the season was officially over, he was furiously moving on and was no longer there to make up the numbers in the Western Conference.

“I think we’re going to be a really good team sooner than people think, and that’s why I think it’s easy for me. [d’être patient]. I observe this development every day. I’ve seen this growth in the last five months, a year, the last two years, and I’m excited. » Thus, OKC’s star was announced, and his team won its fourth in the last six games.

A few hours later, SGA and his teammates proved it again with a second win in Chicago, before the second leg of the East Coast back-to-back continues Sunday in Brooklyn. Authoritarian clock at 24, this time 14 points after an offensive display (124 points on 51% shooting).

The Thunder, the most productive offense in the league, averaging 122.2 points over their last 11 games, posted a 20-23 record, synonymous with 11th place in the Western Conference, one win over the Suns, 10-of-21. – 23, also the Warriors, 6th at 21-21.

Trust and solidarity, the recipe for progress

” Players feed off each other’s energy praised a self-assured Marc Daigneaut as his group. ” This is a very strong, very strong form of trust. And it’s not just an internal belief, it’s one they share and display on the field. »

Josh Giddey, who has made strong individual progress, shares his coach’s words, leading to a better mental strength among the players, especially this season. ” Twelve months ago, we probably had a crack “A -14 to -1 return could have unsettled or destabilized the Thunder,” the advanced Australian said, referring to the Bulls’ “run” in the third quarter. But tonight was different. We were ready to go back to the fight. »

In short, there’s confidence in OKC’s young locker room, and it’s reflected where the carefree but cohesive collective has made significant strides.

” Of course, children will pay attention to the rating Later, Josh Giddey concluded that Oklahoma no longer has such a difficult scenario when it comes to making the playoffs for “playing” or even directly through the Top 6. ” But we don’t talk about it much, at least not yet. There are still many games to come. But of course it’s great to see our progress at this stage of the season compared to last year. »