(Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Good teams respond when their backs are against the wall, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been a great team throughout the course of the season.
They had plenty of double-digit comebacks this year, and even though they’re the youngest team still in contention, they proved to have a strong character.
Now, they’ll have no margin for error as they hit the road to face the Dallas Mavericks for a win-or-go-home Game 6.
The Mavericks were on top of them for most of Game 5, and every single time they got it going, Jason Kidd’s team stormed right back.
Nonetheless, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t think it was a matter of execution.
If anything, it was just tough luck (via NBA TV).
“I felt like we played the right way offensively tonight…We had the right intensions, made the right plays…it just didn’t go our way.”
SGA on OKC’s tough Game 5 loss pic.twitter.com/iofc9uqQ1u
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2024
Following the game, Shai claimed that even though it was hard to tell by being in the heat of the moment and out there on the court, he actually liked the shots they took and the opportunities they created; they just didn’t go in.
It happens sometimes.
The Mavericks play outstanding team defense, with even Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic taking their defensive prowess up a couple of notches since the start of the playoffs.
The Thunder have plenty of shot-makers and athletes, but they’ve had to endure a bit of a beating on every single drive to the lane, and they might not have the size to counter the Mavs’ bigs.
Game 6 will be a must-watch, and it can either show that the Thunder are ready to get the job done right now, or that they might still need more polishing and experience.
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