Mark Daigneault's Game 2 seminar started with psychology.
The 39-year-old Thunder coach spent days observing teams around the league in situations like OKC, and the winner of a competitive Game 1 ignited an inner flame in the road team, hoping for more. was forced to restart. He strengthened his resolve by shooting film for days on end and swallowing every mistake to see troubling team trends.
Daigneault needed to instill empathy. In war, knowing your opponent means understanding how they think and move.
To understand what it will take to rouse a weakened Pelicans team to a 124-92 win in Game 2 on Wednesday, you need to understand how the Thunder felt after Sunday's two-point loss. –This isn't impossible, but it's unlikely for a band made up mostly of players who have never played in a playoff series.
“You have to use your imagination a little bit,” second-year forward Jaylen Williams said. “For example, 'How would you feel if you lost your first game?' … Because it's easy to do.
“How would they respond? I'm sure they feel a certain way about this game. If anything, they're humble enough to know that the game could go either way and take it as their own.” Use it to your advantage.”
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The Thunder faced an error on Sunday. Almost unfathomably out of character, the wild CJ McCollum took shots out of desperation, fell victim to shot-making woes in the playoffs, and was part of a low-scoring final score that would have made the late David Stern laugh. Ta.
We knew the Pelicans were competitive. It evoked the idea that having Sunday off brought them closer to their peers than anything else. Thunder caught that feeling and crushed it. On Wednesday, OKC was back to its old ways, clicking until it forced New Orleans off the court with little sympathy. Just empathy.
And at one point, Brandon Ingram just shrugged, afraid of the whistle, drowning in its sound to the point of indifference.
Thunder guard Lou Dort, who had been pinned down by Ingram for seven straight quarters by then, bounced off the elbow the Pelicans wing used — really needed — to pull Dort away from him. Dort went down, but it was one of the few times Ingram didn't blow the whistle. It was just PTSD.
Dort and his friends had caused something in their victory. They eliminated New Orleans' airspace and beat it elsewhere to an almost annoying degree. Ingram and other players needed separation due to elbows and physicality at these points, but OKC was prepared for it and dealt with it.
By the end of the night, the Pelicans had committed 17 turnovers (8 for the Thunder). Eight of those were offensive fouls, which Ingram expected.
Heads were always in the direction of the whistle, and the inability of Thunder defenders to navigate pick-and-rolls without taking advantage often showed as a visible loss. Trey Murphy III ended the argument. Willie Green no longer pleads Dort's flop calls. Ingram shrugged his shoulders.
more:Why New Orleans' Willie Green coaching against OKC's Mark Denault is a 'blessing'
This onslaught turned the fourth quarter into an avalanche. The unanswered runs continued, and even in a league with wild runs, they built an inferiority that couldn't be overcome. Thunder ran and ran, displaying frightening energy against a group that had already been pointlessly defeated. The Pelicans team is running out of options and seconds.
Ingram's attempts to run the show failed. Jonas Valanciunas' early dominance exploded. The Thunder outscored the Pelicans, armed like Rambo in a Tom and Jerry cameo. Different world, different weapons.
Rookie Chet Holmgren seemed to be in a different mode, displaying world-class toughness and perfect timing. He slid off screens and matched every adjustment New Orleans put in his lap. He burst past Ingram to the finish. He made Valanciunas pay for his distance, making 9 of 13 shots and scoring 26 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched that. The two combined for 59 points on 32 shots, thoroughly dissecting a typically vicious Pelicans defense. Adding Jaylen Williams, OKC's big three totals 80 points.
Williams was as motivated as anyone. After he flipped McCollum off, he shouted from the bright Paycom Center hardwoods and did the same to a crowd hooked on his powerful one-handed slam.
“Maybe I should stop. It's making me dizzy,” Williams said. “Sometimes I just scream and lie on the floor trying to catch my breath. … Some people spend their whole lives not making it (to the postseason). Regardless of what's going on in the game. I think just accepting it and having fun while playing is what drives me.”
There was a bundle of energy like the one Williams showed. He killed the Pelicans with 1,000 drives and kicks. OKC shot 59 percent from the field and made 14 of 29 threes. That energy turned 17 turnovers into 22 points. It blossomed into something out of control.
OKC felt every part of the pulse and applied more pressure. For days, Daigneault and his companions wondered, “What if it was them?”
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glass half full
After Sunday night, when Valanciunas took control of the board, talking heads revisited their arguments. As to whether a deal in which OKC gains unusual liquidity at an overwhelming scale bodes well.
The Thunder had possession in the final moments and the victory almost escaped as the Pelicans grabbed multiple offensive rebounds. But Wednesday was nothing like it.
OKC had 37 boards to New Orleans' 35. On Sunday, he allowed 10 outrebounds on the offensive glass, but on Wednesday he lost the count by just three.
Part of that was a difference in effort, a good balance between first-shot defense (the Pelicans made just 7 of 26 3-point attempts) and well-divided attention on the defensive glass. Ta.
Part of that was the aforementioned trade-off that swung in OKC's favor. The Thunder's counterattack was so deep and fluid that Green chose to center Herb Jones in hopes of keeping him out of the rotation.
Valanciunas held up well until he was reversed. He played nearly seven minutes less than he did Sunday, which is notable considering how important his low-post touch was early in Wednesday's game.
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prayer room
Sunday night turned out to be just a glimpse of Dort's defensive torture.
After holding Brandon Ingram to 5-of-17 shooting three days ago, Ingram took just 10 shots in Wednesday's game. Of his three turnovers, several were due to Dort being in Ingram's bubble. Ingram could only use so many methods to free himself.
But Ingram wasn't sitting idle. Two of his most spectacular buckets were two pindowns he hit for as long as he had in the entire series, making the difference less predictable. Ta. In one, Ingram had to skip a gap to avoid Dort's heavy navigation.
“I'm glad I don't have to play against him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I don't know why he didn't make the All-NBA team defensively or whatever. I don't vote. But he has the best defense I've ever seen in my life. Masu.”
And probably some of the best Ingrams we've ever seen.
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OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans Playoff Series Schedule
- Game 1: Thunder 94, Pelicans 92
- Game 2: Thunder 124, Pelicans 92
- Game 3: Saturday, April 27th, 2:30pm (TNT), New Orleans
- Game 4: TBA Monday, April 29th, New Orleans
- Game 5 (if required): TBA Wednesday, May 1, OKC
- Game 6 (If necessary): TBA Friday, May 3rd, New Orleans
- Game 7 (If necessary): TBA Sunday, May 5th, OKC
