Oklahoma City Thunder looks more confident as they head into the 2011 Playoffs – NBA Update
Just a year before, Oklahoma City Thunder used to be a wobbly group, who looked carefree and gave no weight to the ever growing stakes. Though they made it into the playoffs last year, but failed to put up a good show, due to their
blithe attitude.
However, in this season they knew the worth of making into the postseason, especially after defeating the No. 2 seed Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, Thunder looked pretty confident, as it’s a good sign before going to the 2011
playoffs.
Today the atmosphere of their dressing room is totally different in comparison to the previous season. They had replaced their carefree attitude with confidence, so the difference can be felt instantly upon crossing the doorsill
of the team's dressing room.
Team’s Small Forward Kevin Durant said: “We are more relaxed. Last year, we were just like, ‘Ah, we're in the playoffs. Nobody's really ever been here before with the exception of a few guys. So we're just going to go out there
and play and see what happens.' But now, we know what it takes.”
This time, they also believe that they know their opponent well. With Dallas Mavericks ready to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night for a first-round showdown of the playoffs, the Thunder can meet with the Denver Nuggets.
Although like last year, the matchups don’t matter a lot.
According to the Thunder coach Scott Brooks they knew that they are a quality team, last year they were trying to be a good team and thought that they can pull it off in the playoffs. However, the things didn’t go according to
their wishes.
Brooks said: “It always helps to have your first taste of the playoffs because now we don't have to worry about the first playoff experience. We've done that. We know how it feels. We know the excitement we have going into our
home crowd. That was overwhelming. Games 3 and 4, you can't prepare for that. You can't simulate that in practice or the regular season. Our fans were just off the charts. Our players experienced it and now they want that again. They can't wait for that opportunity.”
There is always room for improvement, but the players and coaches of OKC think otherwise, they believe that their defence is right on the track and the offense is developing with the passage of time.
Durant said that his team is in a good position, as they will have home advantage in the first-round games of the playoffs. He added, though they have topped the division, but they shouldn’t be over confident with this achievement.
Having said so, he still believes that they can take on any team at any time, if they firmly follow their plans and play like a team, then anything is possible.
He gave almost a similar statement last year before the playoffs, but this time the Thunder knew that Durant is spot on and they can go as far as they want.
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