Billy Donovan didn’t arrive at Disney World expecting his team to pass with the same precision or defend with the same cohesion as it did in early March. Not even the confines of the Magic Kingdom could bestow such powers after a four-month layoff.
That’s why Donovan struck an urgent tone after a recent practice.
“We cannot waste days,” the Thunder coach said.
So far, no days have been wasted. The Thunder practiced Friday for the first time in four months. On Monday night, the team completed its fourth practice in four days. Friday was “pretty good intensity,” Saturday was “really, really high intensity,” Sunday was a non-contact practice and the energy was back up again Monday, according to Donovan.