OKC fans filed out of the arena in silence. Entering the fourth quarter with nervous energy, their gut reaction was right as Aaron Gordon sank a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds. Playing the free-throw game in the final 13 seconds, the Oklahoma City Thunder blinked first.
The Thunder suffered a shocker in their 121-119 Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. In a game they had firm control for most of the night, Denver stayed within striking distance long enough to make out like bandits and celebrate in its locker room.
Even though fans were devastated, the Thunder can’t afford to linger. They let Game 1 slip through their fingers, but they have to quickly shift their focus to Game 2 or risk losing this series already. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander understands that as OKC tries to move on and salvage these first two games with a split.
“It sucked for the first couple of minutes but after that, back to ourselves. Like I said, we didn’t expect our whole run to be sunshine and rainbows. We know that. It’s about how we respond,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the locker room mood. “Nothing we can do about what just happened. There’s no point to have our head down or be sad about it or sulk about it. All we can do is be better for the next game.”
After his 20-point and five-steal masterpiece was wasted away, Caruso said the locker room let itself fully feel the raw emotions of their Game 1 meltdown for a few minutes before they quickly moved on to Game 2. This type of loss could have a ripple effect for the rest of the series. The best way for OKC to avoid that is to mentally and emotionally move on.
“It was pretty dim the first couple of minutes. We had to sit there and take in that we lost Game 1. We played really well for 40-45 minutes of it. I don’t wanna come off as lighthearted or not caring,” Caruso said. “There’s a deep-rooted care factor in this team and we want to win and go deep in the playoffs… That being said, it’s the first team to four games. They have one, we have zero.”
The Thunder hope to wash away this bad taste in their mouth in Game 2. Caruso handled the gut-punch well and said their next game is what they’ve built up towards all offseason and the regular season. They will face their first true sense of adversity for the first time in months.
“It’s the fun part of basketball. Going out there and competing. I really wish we would’ve won tonight but I had fun playing basketball tonight. I loved competing and playing basketball,” Caruso said. “I want to win more than anything and losing sucks. Giving that game away doesn’t feel good. But perspective, we’re getting a chance to go play in the playoffs Game 2 in the second round on Wednesday. What more can I ask for than that? I had plenty of years where I didn’t even get to play in the postseason or go to Miami twice and lose and go home and have a long summer.”
The Thunder’s importance for Game 2 has now increased tenfold. Flirting as a must-win scenario, the first seed can’t afford to head to Denver down 0-2 in the Round 2 series. These are the high-stakes scenarios of the NBA playoffs. One game, you’re in the driver’s seat. Next game, you could be done for.
“Should be good. Should be fun. We’re going to find out what we’re really made of. We couldn’t expect it to be smooth sailing this whole journey. No journey in life is and we know that. Today is a bump on the road,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Unexpected. Nobody expects to lose, especially that way. But it’s the game of life. It’s about how you respond to getting knocked down and that’s what we got to do next game.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: What were locker room vibes after Thunder’s Game 1 loss to Nuggets?
OKC fans filed out of the arena in silence. Entering the fourth quarter with nervous energy, their gut reaction was right as Aaron Gordon sank a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds. Playing the free-throw game in the final 13 seconds, the Oklahoma City Thunder blinked first.
The Thunder suffered a shocker in their 121-119 Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. In a game they had firm control for most of the night, Denver stayed within striking distance long enough to make out like bandits and celebrate in its locker room.
Even though fans were devastated, the Thunder can’t afford to linger. They let Game 1 slip through their fingers, but they have to quickly shift their focus to Game 2 or risk losing this series already. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander understands that as OKC tries to move on and salvage these first two games with a split.
“It sucked for the first couple of minutes but after that, back to ourselves. Like I said, we didn’t expect our whole run to be sunshine and rainbows. We know that. It’s about how we respond,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the locker room mood. “Nothing we can do about what just happened. There’s no point to have our head down or be sad about it or sulk about it. All we can do is be better for the next game.”
After his 20-point and five-steal masterpiece was wasted away, Caruso said the locker room let itself fully feel the raw emotions of their Game 1 meltdown for a few minutes before they quickly moved on to Game 2. This type of loss could have a ripple effect for the rest of the series. The best way for OKC to avoid that is to mentally and emotionally move on.
“It was pretty dim the first couple of minutes. We had to sit there and take in that we lost Game 1. We played really well for 40-45 minutes of it. I don’t wanna come off as lighthearted or not caring,” Caruso said. “There’s a deep-rooted care factor in this team and we want to win and go deep in the playoffs… That being said, it’s the first team to four games. They have one, we have zero.”
The Thunder hope to wash away this bad taste in their mouth in Game 2. Caruso handled the gut-punch well and said their next game is what they’ve built up towards all offseason and the regular season. They will face their first true sense of adversity for the first time in months.
“It’s the fun part of basketball. Going out there and competing. I really wish we would’ve won tonight but I had fun playing basketball tonight. I loved competing and playing basketball,” Caruso said. “I want to win more than anything and losing sucks. Giving that game away doesn’t feel good. But perspective, we’re getting a chance to go play in the playoffs Game 2 in the second round on Wednesday. What more can I ask for than that? I had plenty of years where I didn’t even get to play in the postseason or go to Miami twice and lose and go home and have a long summer.”
The Thunder’s importance for Game 2 has now increased tenfold. Flirting as a must-win scenario, the first seed can’t afford to head to Denver down 0-2 in the Round 2 series. These are the high-stakes scenarios of the NBA playoffs. One game, you’re in the driver’s seat. Next game, you could be done for.
“Should be good. Should be fun. We’re going to find out what we’re really made of. We couldn’t expect it to be smooth sailing this whole journey. No journey in life is and we know that. Today is a bump on the road,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Unexpected. Nobody expects to lose, especially that way. But it’s the game of life. It’s about how you respond to getting knocked down and that’s what we got to do next game.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: What were locker room vibes after Thunder’s Game 1 loss to Nuggets?
