Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault Exudes Confidence With Game 2 Comments
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Entering Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in a position that not many expected them to be in. Oklahoma City trails the Indiana Pacers in the series after collapsing in Game 1.
More NBA news: Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 1 Draws Lowest Audience in Nearly 40 Years
But the Thunder will have Game 2 played on their home floor once again, and the team has been excellent in front of its fans. Oklahoma City will look to avoid going down 2-0 in the series, and they seem to be very confident entering Game 2.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about the mindset of the team entering the second game, and his comments exuded confidence.
"There's no team I'm more confident in being ready to play, really in any situation than ours."
"There's no team I'm more confident in being ready to play... than ours."
Mark Daigneault has trust in his guys to respond in Game 2 💯👏
IND (1-0) OKC | Sunday at 8pm/et | ABC pic.twitter.com/rM83QhMzok — NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2025
Daigneault understands that this series should be a battle, even though many others expected it to be a rout. Indiana has been playing lights out since the second half of the season, and they have used that face to boost the run to the NBA Finals.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 05: Head coach Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center...
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 05: Head coach Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. More
Photo byWhile many have counted out the Pacers, the Thunder aren't one of them. Oklahoma City got a taste of that reality in Game 1, and they will look to make sure not to allow Indiana to win two straight on the road.
More NBA news: Shaquille O'Neal Shares Harsh Criticism for Thunder After NBA Finals Loss
Even Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't seem too worried after the Game 1 loss. Gilgeous-Alexander spoke out about the loss and put everything into perspective for his team.
"The series isn't first to one, it's first to four," Gilgeous-Alexander said after dropping a game-high 38 points. "We have four more games to get, they have three. That's just where we are."
The Thunder will need to regroup in Game 2 and get back to the basics. While the defense was strong, the offense was lacking in different areas.
More NBA news: Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Speaks Out Following NBA Finals Game 1 Collapse
Oklahoma City was the best team during the regular season all year long, and they will likely be out to prove that fact in the next game. If the Pacers were to take a 2-0 lead in the series, it could be very tough for the Thunder to pull off the comeback.
Game 2 between the teams is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
More NBA news:
Jon Gruden Makes Shocking Pick in Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals
Clippers Seen as Sleeper Team to Land Former NBA MVP: Report
For more on Pacers, Thunder, and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pacers keep betting on themselves this season — and keep winning
OKLAHOMA CITY — The phones in Indiana remained quiet through the first week of February. The Pacers knew what they had, even if the rest of the basketball world hadn't caught on yet. The future of the team could have been up in the air. After a 10-15 start to the season, the Pacers were on fire, but a January hot streak sparked versus a mostly cushy schedule. For months, they had heard about how their Eastern Conference finals run the previous spring was fluke-ish, a product of injuries to the rest of the NBA. The organization stared at a daunting financial situation, by its standards, for the 2025-26 season. Advertisement The Pacers could have tried to save money. They could have deemed themselves good but not good enough to topple the three teams that stood far ahead of them in the East at the time of the trade deadline. They could have angled more toward the future. But they knew what they had, even if others doubted how high they could climb. No matter how Indiana's season ends, whether a 1-0 NBA Finals lead turns into the first non-ABA title in franchise history or trends in the opposite direction, this will be the legacy of the 2025 Pacers. At every level of the organization — in the locker room, on the coaching staff, in the front office — they have believed they are good enough. They lose 15 of 25 to begin the season, and they bounce back. They fall down big seemingly without enough time remaining to make a comeback, and they win a first-round playoff game. Then they do the same in Round 2. And again in Round 3. And one more time to kick off the finals. Tyrese Haliburton's new Pumas, which he jokingly credited for his dagger to clinch Game 1 on Thursday, need an adventurous win probability chart stamped onto them, the type with a steep upward slope at the very end, the symbol of this Pacers season. The Pacers, no matter the situation, continue to bet on themselves. And they continue to prove themselves correct. Teams swooned over center Myles Turner leading into the trade deadline. Turner is the rare rim-protecting 3-point marksman, an intuitive fit on any roster, someone who could help on both sides of the ball without disrupting a group's ecosystem. The 29-year-old will be a free agent this summer. If the Pacers pay him even the low end of his market value without making any other edits to the roster, they will go into the luxury tax for the first time since 2005. This would be new. But the Pacers refused to engage with other front offices on Turner. They believed they were good enough to make a run impressive enough to justify whatever expenses could be next. Advertisement Other front offices checked in on Andrew Nembhard, the man who glitzed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of his sneakers on a stepback 3-pointer late in Game 1. The Pacers were better with Nembhard on the court all season, and their turnaround coincided with his return from injury in early December. Because of his contract structure, which includes a low salary this year that jumps to $18 million in 2025-26, dealing him could have presented one way to get off long-term money. But Indiana swatted away any mention of his name. Nembhard was too important. And the Pacers, they believed, were not frauds. Far from it. They were not trading Nembhard. They weren't trading Turner. They weren't depleting their depth, one of the main catalysts of their magical spring. They opted to hold on to Obi Toppin, another player on an eight-figure salary they could have sent elsewhere for financial reasons. All Toppin has done to justify the move — or lack thereof — is race for transition buckets and drain 3-pointers. He nailed five during the first game of the finals. The narrative of both teams in the finals, the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, has surrounded trades. The Pacers traded for Haliburton in what will go down as an all-time heist. They were clever enough to use 2023 cap space to sign Bruce Brown to an intentionally bloated contract, then use that large salary to flip Brown for Pascal Siakam, another dandy of an exchange. They identified Aaron Nesmith in the deal that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston and used space to absorb Toppin without giving up any players or consequential draft picks. The Thunder are built on trades, too. They acquired Gilgeous-Alexander in the Paul George deal. They selected Jalen Williams with a draft pick they got in the same trade. They flipped Josh Giddey for defensive menace Alex Caruso. They have stockpiled draft picks like no franchise ever. Advertisement But sometimes, the best moves are ones of omission. Sometimes, the smartest trades are the ones organizations choose not to make. The Thunder, for example, could have messed with their core midseason to add a veteran, such as Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Cam Johnson. They opted not to, banking on continuity and a close-knit locker room, which they could ride to the end of the season. The Pacers have the same band together, too, a similar squad to the one that went to the conference finals last season, but one with even more familiarity. The names might be the same, but this is a better team than it was a year ago. It's more physical defensively. Nembhard and Nesmith engulf perimeter threats. And the more time guys have spent together, the more telepathy has reigned supreme, whether on their blink-of-an-eye fast breaks, their constant cutting or their hot-potato ball movement. The front office believed in the players. And the players had their backs. 'You come into the year with all the talk around how (going to the Eastern Conference finals) was a fluke,' Haliburton said. 'You have an unsuccessful first couple months, and now it's easy for everyone to clown you and talk about you in a negative way. And I think as a group we take everything personal as a group. It's not just me. It's everybody.' This is a spite run. The Pacers go down 14 with 2:51 to go, only for Nesmith to sink jumper after jumper and for them to win. They trail by 15 in the fourth quarter of a finals game and push the Thunder into paralysis. Nembhard shimmies into a 3. Haliburton lifts for victory. They start 10-15 and recognize life will be different once Nembhard returns — and once Haliburton, after a slow start to the season, forms into a one-man offense. They trek through the trade deadline insistent this year's team is cohesive enough to play deep into the spring, even as the conversation everywhere other than Indiana is about a supposedly guaranteed conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, whom the Pacers, of course, handled in only five games. The Pacers have trailed all year. It's deterred neither their players nor decision-makers. Now, they're receiving the payoff. (Photo of Myles Turner: William Purnell / Getty Images)
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Report: Mavericks schedule visit with Cooper Flagg ahead of 2025 NBA draft
Report: Mavericks schedule visit with Cooper Flagg ahead of 2025 NBA draft The Mavericks have Cooper Flagg scheduled for a pre-draft visit to Dallas, @TheSteinLine has learned. Flagg, Knicks, Suns and more from the NBA grapevine ... all here in my latest around-the-league notes: — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 7, 2025 Projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2025 NBA draft, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line on Substack. Flagg led Duke to the Final Four, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks on 38.5% shooting from 3-point range. He became the 22nd player in program history to be named a consensus first-team All-American. The Player of the Year is set to visit the Mavericks later this month to get to know team personnel before the organization selects him with the first pick on June 25. Jason Kidd said last month that he believes the Mavericks are a great situation for Flagg, with their mixture of established veterans and up-and-coming players. He believes Flagg will be able to step in and make an immediate contribution. The 6-foot-8 forward has drawn comparisons to former Duke legend and Hall of Famer Grant Hill because of his size, athleticism and ability to affect games in various ways. Former coach Mike Krzyzewski even called him the best freshman to ever play with the Blue Devils. The Mavericks have the first pick in the draft for only the second time in franchise history. After previously trading franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić, the Mavericks will soon meet with their next once-in-a-generation player in Flagg.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Chet Holmgren says NBA Finals Game 2 is must-win for Thunder
Chet Holmgren says NBA Finals Game 2 is must-win for Thunder Entering as a heavy favorite, the Oklahoma City Thunder were sucker-punched in Game 1. They played with fire the entire game and Tyrese Haliburton finally burned their hand with 0.3 seconds left after he drained a game-winner to steal a 1-0 series lead. The 2025 NBA Finals have started with a classic. Take that for those concerned with TV ratings. The Thunder now enter with a high-stakes Game 2. They can't go down 0-2 traveling on the road or risk being on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets. If the Thunder bounce back in Game 2, Chet Holmgren will need to be better. He was invisible in Game 1 with just six points and six rebounds. That performance resulted in him barely seeing the floor in the fourth quarter as the game evolved into crunch time. Two days later, Holmgren called Game 2 a must-win scenario. But with the interesting caveat that he's felt that way throughout the entire playoffs. Which is true from a vibes sense. The highs and lows of a postseason result in fans feeling like they're on the doorstep of a championship or at risk of a doomsday scenario. "I wouldn't say it's any different than Game 1. Game 1 was a must-win and we didn't win. Now we flip to Game 2 and it's a must-win again," Holmgren said. "We've been in must-win situations in this playoff run, and honestly in the playoffs, every game feels like a must-win. You're not saving anything in the tank for any games down the line. You kinda have to lay it all out there." Despite the loss, you should feel confident about the Thunder's Game 2. They've only lost two in a row once this season. Holmgren has gained a reputation for bouncing back after a flat outing. If the seven-footer can return to being a two-way threat, the NBA Finals should be tied at 1-1.
