No matter how things turn out for the Oklahoma City Thunder, there is no doubt the team is getting a ton of postseason experience.
On Sunday, the team bounced back after a disappointing loss against the Denver Nuggets and evened the series with a 92-87 win.
Following that game, head coach Mark Daigneault spoke with ESPN about how his team rebounded and how they “stood back up.”
“Every time you take punches and you get back up, you get stronger,” he said. “That’s what we’re preaching to our team. We lost a tough one the other night in overtime. We stood back up today.”
There was a lot more fight in the Thunder on Sunday.
Up and down the roster, the team experienced strong output from multiple stars.
It was a scrappy, tough game, and the score remained close for much of it, but the Thunder hung in there, and they are feeling much better about their chances now.
The offense wasn’t strong for either team, but the Thunder seemed to constantly run the tempo of the game and threw the Nuggets off their footing multiple times, including in the fourth quarter.
Even before the playoffs began, some critics said the Thunder simply wouldn’t have what it takes to get through the postseason.
Because of their youth and inexperience, OKC would be toppled by a team like the Nuggets, these critics claimed.
Daigneault believes his team is proving what they are capable of right now and showing the NBA world the sort of fight they have in them.
But they can’t ease up now, and they need to keep fighting harder than ever before if they wish to defeat Denver for good.
NEXT: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reveals 'Main Reason' Thunder Lost Game 3
