Thunder багийн тайван тоглолт Timberwolves болон ирээдүйн өрсөлдөгчдөд сануулга өгөв

MINNEAPOLIS — The results were one thing, but it was the process — and the offensive poise — that struck Mark Daigneault as he watched his young Oklahoma City squad finish Game 4 of the Western Conference finals with such fury at Target Center on Monday night.

In those late minutes where the Thunder found themselves back in that unfamiliar place known as clutch time, with a chance to move one win away from the NBA Finals on the line and supreme offensive execution required to combat the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves down the stretch, the fifth-year Thunder coach couldn’t have asked for much more than this. Especially considering the embarrassment they’d bounced back from two days before, when a 42-point drubbing in Game 3 marked the worst loss in franchise history.

There was the absurd assist from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 3:35 left, when he found Jalen Williams while falling to the floor — through Jaden McDaniels’ legs — for a 3 to push the lead to seven.

SGA goes through the defender’s legs for the assist to JDub 😱 pic.twitter.com/aw0RWwYrG5

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 27, 2025

The tough pull-up jumper from Williams on the left side around the two-minute mark, when he fought through Donte DiVincenzo’s dogged defense to push OKC’s edge back to six. The wide-open Williams 3 from the left wing on the next possession, when the threat of Gilgeous-Alexander up top inspired an ill-fated soft-double team from McDaniels. All those SGA free throws that riled the locals to no end, with the recently named MVP hitting seven of eight in the final 2:30. The team with the league’s best defense gave up 17 points in the final four minutes, but survived — 128-126 — because it found a way to go blow-for-blow with the Wolves when it mattered most (OKC scored 15 points in that span).

For Daigneault, whose players spent the vast majority of the regular season resting late in one-sided games during their 68-win campaign, this was yet another sign that these Thunder are growing up fast. And at the perfect time, really. Here they were on the heels of the Game 3 shellacking, with the Timberwolves threatening to make this a long series just as the Denver Nuggets had in the second round. And this OKC group that is playing in its first conference finals together had the wherewithal to do all the little things that tend to add up in the biggest moments. From beginning to end.

“It’s our approach before the game,” Daigneault told The Athletic when asked to describe the ways in which he sees the growth. “It’s the huddles in the games. They’re very poised, rational — like, it’s not emotional. And I think they understand what’s going on. They understand when the other team’s on a run. They understand when the game is being officiated a certain way, or whatever. They just can put it into a quick perspective. They talk in a very productive way to each other. It’s the sign of a mature team.

“These experiences are so rich for us. I mean, we’ve had to respond to some great adversity the last couple of weeks. I thought the Denver series made us a lot better. This series is making us better. It’s a huge step forward for us.”

For teams like the Thunder that are elite during the regular season, there’s a dangerous downside to dominance. You don’t get the high-pressure, close-game reps from October to April that tend to pay off when May and June roll around. Such is life when you set an NBA record in double-digit wins (54) and point differential (12.9, besting the 12.3 mark held by the 1971-72 Lakers).

But that level of potency can be problematic in the postseason, when all that connective tissue between coaches and players is so desperately needed in the most pressure-packed moments and it’s nowhere to be found. Just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There were times in the Thunder’s seven-game series against the Nuggets where it looked like they might suffer that same fate, but their Game 4 finish was compelling evidence that a more mature, resilient side is emerging. After losing consecutive games just twice in the regular season, the Thunder have yet to suffer back-to-back losses in the playoffs.

That’s quite a feat for any team at this late stage. And considering the historic level of youth on display here, with SGA (who’s 26) the oldest of their core and super sixth man Alex Caruso the elder statesman at 31, that’s a frightening development for the Timberwolves and the rest of the NBA.

This aspect of the Thunder operation is only going to get better — and more dangerous — from here.

“One thing I’m proud of is that we’re learning, and we’re getting better,” Caruso told The Athletic. “I talked about that a little bit in the beginning of the Denver series. They were a team that was going to push us to execute, because they were a good, smart, championship-caliber team. And I thought we did that through the series. I thought we got better through the series, especially in the late-game situations, just executing, getting to the stuff we want. (In Game 4), obviously, Dub (Williams) and Shai’s shotmaking carried us because we were searching for stops at the end. …We’ve worked on it all year. We just haven’t had the time to do it in-game. But the few games we have this postseason, I think we’ve taken real steps and are getting better.”

Veteran Alex Caruso believes the Thunder are only getting better as they continue their postseason journey. (Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)

As Thunder guard Lu Dort explained, the leadership structure on this OKC team is unique. While Gilgeous-Alexander is the undisputed head of the snake, it’s players such as Williams, Caruso and even little-used Kenrich Williams who tend to speak up the most. The fraternity-type feel that the Thunder so often show in those postgame media sessions, where the spotlight is shared by as many players as possible and the vibes are so immaculate, creates an environment where everyone is encouraged to be vocal.

“We’ve got to stay together, obviously,” Dort said of those late-game moments. “Obviously we know who’s our main engine. We know who’s going to have the ball in their hands. But defensively, we’ve still got to talk. I mean, that’s the time where it’s the hardest. …And then we’ve got to communicate — especially when we’re on the road and the crowd is getting involved. So we’ve got to stay together and be loud, so we can understand each other.”

Game 3 was not one of those times.

While the Thunder’s worst loss of the regular season was by 27 points (126-99 to the Lakers on April 6), and nine of their 14 losses were by single digits, their 143-101 loss to the Timberwolves was a whole different kind of humbling in terms of stage and scope. And for all the well-deserved credit that came Minnesota’s way afterward, it was the Thunder’s lack of aggressiveness early on — a core tenet of their identity — that invited the disaster.

“Honestly, when we’re comfortable, it’s hard to put ourselves in another state of mind when we’re up 2-0, and then we’re happily content with what we have done,” Dort said. “But obviously, on their side, that was a desperate game, and they knew that if they go down 3-0, then it’s going to be hard to come back in the series. …The main thing was our physicality. We just had to play harder. We’re a physical team, and we didn’t play like we usually play the last game.”

The question heading into Game 4, then, centered on their ability to bounce back with the sort of desperation and professionalism required to win games this time of year. Caruso, the eight-year veteran, took the lead when it came time to discuss what needed to change.

“I was trying to get us to realize that, just being a young team too, we relaxed a little bit the other night,” Caruso said. “We didn’t come with the right intensity and mindset you need on the road into a place where a team’s down 0-2, and they’re going back to their house. So we’re learning late-game stuff. These are experiences that we’re all learning from as a team, and I think their response tonight, from the tip to the end — the concentrated effort, physicality, the no excuses, finding a way to make winning plays — that’s the answer you want from your team after you get beat like that.”

Especially when crunchtime came.

(Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)