historic Thunder but not satisfied

But who will be able to knock it down Ololama City ? The NBA microcosm has been asking this question more and more persistently for several days, and it is not the beating inflicted on the Phoenix in Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinals that will settle the debate.

This masterfully earned victory (138-89) now puts the Thunder in the same bracket as the Warriors authors of the best regular season in history in 2015/16 after 25 matches (24-1). The reigning champion continues his insane momentum and shows no signs of slowing down or tiring.

The performance against the Suns was undoubtedly made a little easier by the absence Devin Booker in front. But regardless of the opponent or the players available, OKC remains OKC: a winning machine by jumping at the opposing team’s throat and never letting up the pressure. And it never gets caught. “Winning is never boring” answer immediately Jalen Williams when we ask him for a prescription to stay that way.

From -73 to +49 in four years

The title won a few months ago was a reward for all this effort, not an end in itself, especially after we climbed all the steps to rebuild the Thunder.

« There was a time when some of our players were very dominated » continues the winger at the press conference. « I won’t name names, but we’ve already lost by 70 points (73 against the Grizzlies in December 2021). So I think a lot of guys have that in the back of their minds. Even during my first season, we didn’t win much (40 wins and 42 losses in the 2022/23 season). We were strong, but I think I have that in mind as well. And you can’t get bored in this whole process. »

Watching the Thunder play their game in the first quarter on Wednesday night, the basketball seemed alarmingly easy, between constant aggression and good choices on offense. After only ten minutes of play, OKC led by twenty points, against the Suns, who nevertheless decided to respond physically to the partners of “J-Dub”.

« It starts in defense, then we play together in attack and let the ball tell us what to do » summary Chet Holmgrenvery good wednesday, like oklahoma city can put on autopilot at any moment and drive in the competition.

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Largely in the lead from the beginning of the match, the Thunder did not let up, despite the visitors’ slow start at the beginning of the second quarter.

« I thought we were mentally strong tonight » appreciated the coach Mark Daigneault. « It’s hard to play when you’re ahead. It’s hard not to get distracted by the result. I thought the group that started the third quarter struck the first blow, and that energy continued throughout the quarter. Then the one who played in the fourth quarter (no seed returned to play during the period) did a great job focusing on the next possession. That’s how you build good habits. »

Pleasure as a driving force

Winning over and over again is visibly contagious. This season, OKC led by 20 points more than it trailed on the scoreboardregardless of the gap.

The win gives the Thunder a new franchise record 16-game winning streak. But each of the players interviewed after the match was categorical, records, streaks… All this is not the main concern of this team. And that makes it one of its great strengths. ” We try to honestly block every distraction, fight every game and try to win it » explained Lou Dort media. « We take nothing for granted because in sports no situation lasts forever Chet Holmgren insisted. ” Professional sport is very fragile so you have to make the most of it. »

“Enjoy”, it seems, is not an empty mantra for this group. ” It starts with the demands we make of ourselves, and continues with the respect we have for each of us and the joy we do together. » continues Chet Holmgren. This Thunder was built without a true veteran, accustomed to wins and trophies, to explain the procedure. It is precisely by moving forward together at the beginning of their careers that this team is drawn to the top and does not intend to stop there.

Jaylen Williams highlighted the altruism of this team, “ motivation » for starters to see players on the end of the bench get real minutes in the fourth quarter thanks to the leadership gained, or the progress shown by young players on the team when certain leaders are absent.

« Obviously, the goal is success, but for me it’s more about having fun with this group » adds Chet Holmgren. ” You don’t want to get caught up in what it takes to do all of that, and lose sight of how special this team is, how special these guys are. »

Now, go get the NBA Cup

OKC remains 72-10 in its last 82 regular season games, one success behind Golden State’s all-time record of 73-9 in 2015-16. With the same 24-1 record as these Warriors, the odds of making some more history are growing. Especially when the last three wins, all by more than 20 points (or even more), indicate a significant difference from the rest of the league.

« Not all of these games will be blowouts, and we’re not taking them for granted either » sweeps Jaylen Williams. ” A win is a win. Ugly wins, we’ll take them. We will also win big victories. What matters is how far we can go in winning. Because we’ve had big wins where we weren’t really happy with the way we won. And close wins where we liked our level of play. It’s basketball, you can’t get tired of winning. »

The next goal: to continue this momentum as the 2015/16 Warriors suffered just their second loss in their 31st regular-season meeting. The context of the NBA Cup further increases the challenge and the stakes in the next victories to be won (starting with the one against Spurs Saturday), especially after a tough loss in the finals last season against the Bucks.

« Whenever we have a goal in mind, we want to achieve it » sums up Jaylen Williams. ” This is not about revenge, but if we’re going to do something, let’s do it to the fullest extent possible. Let’s keep the end goal of the season in mind, but let’s treat this trip to Las Vegas like a playoff series. » « We still have a lot to show » Lou Dort insisted for his part.