Once again, things didn’t go as planned for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
They wanted to storm into their game against the Denver Nuggets and even the series.
Instead, they collapsed in overtime and are now in a 2-1 hole against Nikola Jokic and his team.
Following the game, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault talked about his team, their journey, and the challenges they are facing.
“What I would say is we are in the process of becoming a great team. We’ve checked a lot of boxes in that process. And one thing that it takes to be a great team is you get taken to the limit in the playoffs. You’ve got a rise to the challenges that you’re confronted with. This team’s made a habit of doing that repeatedly. I have full confidence we’ll continue to do that, but we have to embrace what this is. It’s the playoffs,” Daigneault said, via Clemente Almanza.
Mark Daigneault: “What I would say is we are in the process of becoming a great team. We’ve checked a lot of boxes in that process. And one thing that it takes to be a great team is you get taken to the limit in the playoffs. You’ve got a rise to the challenges that you're…
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 10, 2025
That might not be the answer Thunder fans wanted, but it’s an honest one.
Daigneault said the Thunder are becoming a great team, but many followers of OKC felt they were already great.
And they wanted to see them go all the way to the Finals.
Despite being down 2-1 against the Nuggets, that is still possible, and the Thunder could be champions soon.
But they are currently being tested in a way that simply isn’t possible during the regular season.
The Thunder now have the opportunity to step up and rise to the challenges facing them.
If they are able to overcome, they will continue down their road to the Finals.
But if they fall short against the Nuggets, there will be many questions about why they weren’t able to go all the way this year after such an outstanding regular season.
NEXT: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Addresses Gesture After Loss On Friday