In the Playoffs, everyone is playing as hard as possible. The difference between wins and losses, however, is which team plays smartest. For the Thunder, there was a stark contrast in Games 1 and 2 on the latter account.
The amount of concentration and game plan discipline a team can go a long way, and the numbers bear that out. The physicality, strict discipline on defensive coverages and disruption of San Antonio’s offense was critical to the Thunder’s 98-97 win.
“Even when you do win, there are still things we have to get better at,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said.