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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Mark Daigneault explains advantages OKC playoff crowd brings to Thunder
Running opponents out of the gym, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been an unstoppable machine at their home gym throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs. Sans a heroic Aaron Gordon game-winner, the first seed has beaten teams by double-digit points in the first three rounds. Several Thunder players have discussed the boost the OKC crowd has. Paycom Center is notorious for having one of the best homecourt advantages. This year's playoff run was a reminder to the rest of the league as the Thunder return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Even Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault notices the intangible jump fans can provide. He made sure to close his postgame speech when they won the Western Conference Finals by asking fans to rest up for the week, as they will need them for Game 1 on Thursday, June 5. 'I walk out there three minutes before the game and everybody is ready. They're in their seats. They're standing. Their T-shirts are on. They not only help you when you're on a positive run and it's gotten unbelievably loud, they've also done a great job," Daigneault said. "But there was a time in Game 5 in the third quarter where we didn't really have our footing and Minnesota was starting to get some confidence. It felt a little uneasy what was going on at the court. They sensed that it was a moment the team needed them." The Thunder still don't know their NBA Finals opponent. It'll be either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks. But considering an Eastern Conference squad hasn't made multiple visits to OKC in over a decade, expect the winner to experience a culture shock that'll take the first few minutes to get used to. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Thunder had no urgency in Game 3. How will they respond in Game 4?
MINNEAPOLIS — In accumulating the best record in the NBA and in becoming the team with the best score differential in league history, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made a living of being on the right end of some lopsided scores. There are reasons for this. The Thunder were the best defensive team in the league this season. They are supremely physical. They cause turnovers and make it difficult for opposing teams to run an offense. They have a steely demeanor about them that consistently allows them to keep their foot on the pedal. Advertisement This postseason has yielded four losses for Oklahoma City. In three of them — coming against the Denver Nuggets in what was a wonderful second-round series — the losses happened on the margins. There was an Aaron Gordon game winner in Game 1. There was a bad fourth-quarter stretch in Game 3. There was an improbable run of shots from Denver guard Julian Strawther in Game 6 that clinched a Game 7. Those were all flaws that the Thunder eventually fixed, which is why they are currently in the Western Conference finals. Saturday night's 143-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center presents a different challenge to OKC. It's the first time in this playoff that Oklahoma City has been pushed around for 48 minutes. It's the first time the Thunder have gotten proverbially punked. Most importantly, it's the first time OKC hasn't had a real answer for an opponent, which is why they became the 31st team in NBA history to lose a playoff game by at least 40 points. 'We just didn't bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,' Thunder league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We didn't have it. They obviously played with more of a sense of urgency than we did.' Hearing those words from SGA is rather remarkable. What Oklahoma City has been during this playoff run is hungry, even in the games that haven't gone its way. Their superpower lies in how hard they play, folding into how deep they are, folding into how good an individual player and ceiling raiser Gilgeous-Alexander has proven to be. They have been like a ball rolling downhill into championship contention. And after two resounding wins in Oklahoma City to start this series, many had them penciled into the NBA Finals, and most of the NBA world has them as a heavy favorite to become the next NBA champion. So, the Thunder not coming into a Game 3 with no urgency, when they could have put a stranglehold on the series and yanked hope away from the Timberwolves, has to qualify as the most disappointing development of Saturday night for Oklahoma City. Gilgeous-Alexander was correct when he went on to say that no game is perfect, and OKC can't be expected to always play perfect basketball. And on a lot of levels, not having the same desperation as the team down two games in the series isn't truly an indictment on the team with the lead. Minnesota knew its season was over if Saturday night ended with a loss. Oklahoma City simply didn't enter Game 3 facing that kind of pressure. Advertisement The disappointing part is that multiple Thunder players conceded that they didn't come ready to play. It was Minnesota that made the plays needed, and it was the Timberwolves who played the role of aggressor. A lesson needs to be learned in that regard for a young and callow bunch. As good as Oklahoma City is, the Thunder can't afford to just give playoff games away. Hardly any team outside of the peak Golden State Warriors, who were notorious for giving Game 3s away, could afford that. So, the question for the Thunder is this. How do they respond in Monday night's Game 4? 'Whatever they wanted to do, they did,' OKC forward Chet Holmgren said. 'Wherever they wanted to go, they got there. That's the biggest thing. They came out and played with a lot more force than we did. They played with more of an edge than we did tonight, and it really showed.' With 4:39 remaining, and with both benches cleared long before that, the chant through Target Center from the sellout crowd was clear, concise and easy to understand. 'Wolves in six!!!' 'Wolves in six!!!' Of course, in a win, crowds are going to talk. But if Saturday night yielded anything, it was Oklahoma City allowing a measure of belief to Minnesota, its players and its fans. There didn't seem to be any of that following the two blowout wins in Oklahoma City. There is now, and that will make Game 4 a fight. The Thunder have come up big in multiple situations this postseason. Down 2-1 to the Denver Nuggets, OKC played perhaps its best fourth quarter of the postseason to that point to erase an 8-point deficit. Two nights later, on their home floor, the Thunder rallied from an 80-68 deficit to win a Game 5 that proved to be the turning point of the series. And, finally, faced with the pressure of a Game 7, Oklahoma City blew the doors off the Nuggets, ended Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray's season, and advanced to the third round. Advertisement Monday night's Game 4 will be important for Oklahoma City, but not critical, like the three games against the Nuggets were. It is imperative that the Thunder come up with a response to being on the receiving end of a wire-to-wire beatdown for the first time in their playoff run. But even with a loss, Oklahoma City still has the benefit of home-court advantage, and the Thunder have been really good at home. 'I thought their physicality and their pressure stood out, especially early,' Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault said. 'They definitely threw the first punch of the game, and that had a lot to do with it. Schematically, they were a little different, but not a ton. They were more forceful on the offensive end and defensive end of the floor, and that was a tough combination for us.' That, more than anything, is what the Thunder have to answer. They are used to bullying teams physically, despite their lack of size. They eliminate space defensively. They cause turnovers and they make existing offensively difficult. On Saturday night, Minnesota did that to Oklahoma City, and the Thunder wilted in Game 3 because of it. Gilgeous-Alexander, so good in games 1 and 2, scored just 14 points and shot just 4-of-13 from the field. OKC shot just 40 percent from the field overall, and made only 14 of its 44 3-point attempts. The Thunder allowed Minnesota star Anthony Edwards to control the game. And once the game got out of hand, Oklahoma City couldn't find a way to stabilize the scoreboard. An 11-2 run to start the second half proved to be the lone push the Thunder made. But the Timberwolves quickly pushed the lead back beyond 30 points, leading to Daigneault clearing his bench for good midway through the third quarter. On Monday night, OKC is going to have to answer whether Game 3 was a respite or whether it proved to be a turning point in the series. It makes for what will be a fascinating game for the Thunder. 'I think the biggest thing is we have to come out on Monday with the right mindset,' Holmgren said. 'We have to play with force, and that's where it has to start. We have to play with the right amount of energy that it takes to win a playoff game on the road.' (Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being defended by Rudy Gobert: Bruce Kluckhohn / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets Add Much-Needed Depth in 3-Team Mock Trade Including Jazz, Hawks
The Denver Nuggets' season came to an unfortunate end when they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. It was the second-straight playoff series in which the Nuggets played seven games. It seemed to take its toll, as Jokic sometimes looked tired, and Aaron Gordon suffered a hamstring injury in Game 6. Advertisement The Nuggets will have to make some choices before pursuing any trades or free agents, as they haven't decided whether to offer interim General Manager Ben Tenzer the position full-time. Nuggets add much-needed depth in 3-team mock trade Depth, or lack thereof, was arguably Denver's biggest issue heading into the postseason. Julian Strawther had moments, but there really weren't many options head coach David Adelman felt comfortable with putting out on the floor. In a mock trade from Jackson Caudell from Atlanta Hawks site, he has Denver addressing their lack of depth with a three-team trade. Advertisement In the trade, the Hawks would receive Collin Sexton from the Utah Jazz and Peyton Watson from the Nuggets. Denver would receive John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Svi Mykhailiuk, Terance Mann and a slew of second-round draft picks. The Jazz would receive Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, Hunter Tyson, the No. 22 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick from the Nuggets. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Chenoy-Imagn Images Porter Jr.'s shoulder injury really hampered Denver down the stretch, which was the last thing a team with depth issues needed. Collins and Clarkson could help the Nuggets, but it would be difficult to play Collins and Gordon together with Jokic. While the Nuggets desperately need a bench scorer, they would likely push to acquire Sexton rather than Clarkson, who will be 33 years old at the start of next season. Advertisement However, it's likely that, once the new general manager is in place, they would likely explore Michael Porter Jr.'s trade value across the NBA. Nuggets Add Much-Needed Depth in 3-Team Mock Trade Including Jazz, Hawks first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Nuggets remove interim tag, make David Adelman full-time head coach
May 22 - David Adelman is officially the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, the team announced on Thursday. The Nuggets removed the interim tag on Adelman, 44, and rewarded him with the full-time job after taking over for the team with three games left in the regular season. Adelman then guided Denver to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs before falling in Game 7 to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Adelman assumed the interim role after the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth late in the regular season. Ben Tenzer is the interim general manager. Denver players provided strong endorsements for Adelman after their season came to an end, with forward Aaron Gordon saying Adelman proved "excellent for us," adding that he hoped the coach would remain in place for next season. Similarly, All-Star center Nikola Jokic noted that Adelman "made us believe something, and we played good." The son of former NBA coach Rick Adelman, David has been around the game his entire life. After coaching high school in the Portland, Oregon, area from 2002 to 2011, Adelman joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as a player development coach under his father in 2011, where he stayed for five years. He was an assistant coach from 2012-16. From there, Adelman served as an assistant with the Orlando Magic in 2016-17 before moving on to the Nuggets as an assistant in 2017. --Field Level Media
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nuggets name David Adelman head coach, removing interim tag: Source
One of the first dominoes of Denver's offseason has fallen. The Nuggets have removed the interim tag on coach David Adelman and given him the job full time, a team source confirmed on Thursday. ESPN first reported the news. Adelman took the role on an interim basis after Denver fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth late in the season. He coached the final three games of the regular season and through two rounds of the postseason, which ended for Denver on Sunday with a Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement In that short time frame, Adelman more than proved himself worthy of the job. He received a sharp endorsement from players such as Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. after Denver was eliminated from the postseason. His ability to galvanize a roster that was teetering on the brink of emotional detachment went a long way toward saving a season that was heading toward disappointment. His adjustments in Denver's first-round series win over the LA Clippers proved enormous. When the Clippers defensively bottled up star center Nikola Jokić with double teams early in the series, Adelman had Jokić operate from the sides of the floor, rather than the middle of the floor, so he could see where the doubles were coming from. When the Nuggets needed energy from their bench in their second-round series against OKC, Adelman inserted Julian Strawther into his rotation, and Strawther responded with a 15-point Game 6 that helped force Game 7. Most of all, Adelman presented himself as a strong voice at the head of the organization. He showed confidence and leadership. He owned every decision, even the ones that didn't work, such as his choice to play Jokić for the entire second half of Game 5, which ended with the Thunder rallying for the win that forever changed the series. Adelman is the son of former NBA head coach Rick Adelman. He is a former high school basketball teammate of Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. He has been around the game his entire life, and now gets the chance to lead a roster that features one of the greatest players of this generation.
