NEW ORLEANS — Moments after the Thunder secured their first playoff series win in eight seasons, Mark Dainot sat at the postgame podium in the Smoothie King Center cafeteria-turned-visiting media room, asking questions as water dripped from his hair. I responded.
The fact that the players were doused with cold water was an acceptable reality considering the Pelicans' 97-89 victory in Game 4. And that same bath was a true-to-life soak in the ways of college coaches after winning the NCAA Tournament. Most of his team is young enough to still be in college.
“My players are idiots,” he joked.
But maybe the young Thunder is stupid in the sense of naivety. He didn't know what awaited him on the other side of a 57-win season. Oklahoma City was young. Inexperienced. They don't realize how the postseason forces teams to change shape.
None of it seemed to matter in the first round series.
The Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series. By the end of the postseason, the biggest mistake may have been not trademarking the phrase “youngest.”
That youth has been endlessly linked by pundits, critics, and NBA history. It seems like everyone except the team itself.
“We don't think of it as young or young,” forward Jaylen Williams said. “We haven't used that excuse all year. We didn't use it last year. … It's been talked about and it's just something that everyone needs to talk about and we just want to keep it that way. I'll leave it to that.”
Monday's victory marked Oklahoma City's first playoff series win since the 2015-16 season, but it was probably the last time Thunder fans were so full of hope. Have a dream of competition.
This is the kiss goodbye to eight seasons, five trips to the postseason, three eras of Thunder basketball, two tough rebuilding seasons that revitalized this team, and general manager Sam Presti wanted. This is one appearance (not an appearance).
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In a sign of the status of this young Thunder team, it accomplished that without a dominant performance from an MVP candidate.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tweaked his ankle, seemingly stepping on a teammate's ankle, near the end of the first quarter, but had one of the least efficient performances of the series. He made just 8 of 21 field goals, missed six free throws and added 24 points.
In perhaps the ugliest game of the series (and Game 1 happened), it was Josh Guidy and Jaylen Williams who showed off their shot-making. Guidi, who scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers, hasn't lost his confidence since March. All three of his fourth-quarter 3s were courageous and necessary.
Williams scored 24 points on 17 shots and followed Guidi with a few bold shots that sealed New Orleans' fate.
Ugliness aside, the Pelicans looked like a team with the desperation that comes with playing the final game of the season. Jose Alvarado's on-court theft was more evident than any other game. Naji Marshall tried to be a hero and made four 3s. Jonas Valanciunas spent most of the night in the post, playing 14 more minutes than he did in Game 3.
But ugly is ugly. There was no competent makeup, as OKC held New Orleans 37.6% from the field, or an 8-of-34 (23.5%) record on 3s. The Pelicans never scored more than 92 points in any game in the series.
Thunder teeth young. I haven't run away from it. Chet Holmgren certainly doesn't know who Bruce Springsteen is. The players, like children woken up past their bedtime, jumped and barked their way through the halls of Smoothie His King, bringing life to the previously silent hallway leading to the locker room.
The wisdom of achieving Sunday's greatness is institutional. Nick Collison was on the floor before the game, standing right in front of the hole where Thunder players were frolicking. Other former players like Eric Maynor and DJ White are also scattered throughout the organization.
Even before they knew what the postseason was like, this Thunder team had crutches everywhere, whether it was the thrill of building behind a crowd of fans or the feeling of cold water.
“Rather than clear advice, I think the only thing that creates a very consistent environment is everyone being engaged in their work,” Daigneault said.
As an organization, we know who they are before the season even starts. As a team, we had the resources to figure out who was who early on. He was the youngest first-round winner in NBA history, and his eyes widened as his eligibility was checked.
historical clamp
If you felt like some of the scores in the Pelicans and Thunder series were a throwback to the 2000s and early 2010s, you were right. Probably for the wrong reasons.
The low score by New Orleans was more than a recent officiating change or the nature of postseason basketball. The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 93.5 through four games, the worst offensive rating of a playoff team since the Memphis Grizzlies in 2015-16.
Linking up offensively with a team coined the “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies probably won't be ideal in 2024. However, the problem goes even deeper.
New Orleans made just 9-of-35 (25.7%) on shots within five feet of the rim throughout the series, according to ESPN tracking data. The Pelicans only shot above 38.5% in one of their four games. His three-point success rate was less than 28.2% in every game.
Pels forward Brandon Ingram was sentenced to life in the Dorcher Chamber's most public outing ever, but was defended by Thunder guard Lou Dort for 35 minutes and 09 seconds throughout the series. Dort was held to 28 points on 11-of-33 shooting with four turnovers. Monday was his worst night so far, with only two successful attempts out of 14.
CJ McCollum, who was further elevated on the totem pole with Zion Williamson sidelined due to injury, struggled as well. With Williams protecting him, he only made 40% of his 20 shots. Holmgren's proximity limited him to 37.5% on 16 attempts via switches on the perimeter or around the rim.
The young Thunder crushed the Pelicans against a team that struggled offensively.
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