{"id":109,"date":"2026-05-12T15:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=109"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:37:20","slug":"the-oklahoma-city-thunder-say-they-arent-perfect-the-champs-8-0-playoff-record-is-spotless-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=109","title":{"rendered":"The Oklahoma City Thunder say they aren\u2019t perfect. The champs\u2019 8-0 playoff record is spotless anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 The Oklahoma City Thunder insist they haven\u2019t been perfect during their NBA title defense.<\/p>\n

Read more 2026 NFL schedule: Bills stadium debuts Week 2, Cowboys at Giants Week 1, vs. Eagles on Thanksgiving<\/a><\/p>\n

Their record at the playoffs\u2019 halfway point disagrees.<\/p>\n

The Thunder completed their second straight series sweep of the spring Monday night when they held off the resilient Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 of the second round. Oklahoma City went 8-0 against LeBron James and the Lakers this season \u2014 and the defending champs are also 8-0 in these playoffs after back-to-back routs of Phoenix and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Sure, coach Mark Daigneault can see areas for improvement and problems to be solved. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander warns that the job is far from finished.<\/p>\n

Yet the Thunder are unquestionably the class of the sport with this playoff streak following their dominant regular season as they seek the NBA\u2019s first back-to-back championships since Golden State did it 2017 and 2018.<\/p>\n

General manager Sam Presti\u2019s merciless machine is looking fairly unbeatable as it heads to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year and the sixth time in the past 16 seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done our job so far, that\u2019s all it really means,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone out there, we\u2019ve executed, we played at a high level and we\u2019ve been able to win eight tough games against really good opponents. That\u2019s all it really means. And nothing is guaranteed. In the playoffs, no two games are the same, especially when you change opponents. So the challenges are all coming up, I guess you can say.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next challenge is a date with either the San Antonio Spurs or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals \u2014 after several more days of rest than those teams, which are tied heading to Game 5 on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

But whoever emerges from that rock fight of a series will face the NBA\u2019s biggest challenge in the smooth, relentless Thunder, who appear to be operating on an even higher level than they reached last season while winning the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been very, very good,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cI thought we had more lapses tonight than we had had in previous games, so we have to learn from that. Obviously we have to play better in more of the 48 minutes, but I also think the wind is going to be in your face in a playoff game for different reasons at different times, and you\u2019ve got to be able to recenter. I thought we did that exceptionally well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thunder had never swept back-to-back playoff series, and neither did the Seattle SuperSonics before them.<\/p>\n

Read more Duke softball earns No. 12 overall seed, set to host Durham Regional<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lakers got blown out by Oklahoma City three times before managing one close game. The Thunder trailed in a fourth quarter for the first time in these playoffs, and their five-point win was the smallest of the spring.<\/p>\n

But the Thunder rallied, as they almost always do.<\/p>\n

Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine of his 35 points in the fourth quarter. Ajay Mitchell, the backup guard who has become a star in Jalen Williams\u2019 injury absence, poured in 10 of his career playoff-high 28 in the same period. Chet Holmgren had arguably the biggest baskets of all, including a go-ahead dunk with 32.8 seconds left.<\/p>\n

The Thunder celebrated a closeout quarter that seemed to feature a big play from everybody who touched the court. A few minutes later, they were back to business.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that we\u2019ve done so far is behind us,\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander said. \u201cWe still have a huge target on. We have two more series to win to reach our ultimate goal, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Los Angeles coach JJ Redick and his staff appeared to have a surprising, effective game plan to harass the Thunder\u2019s scorers \u2014 and yet it didn\u2019t make much of an impact on the scoreboard at all.<\/p>\n

Daigneault found teachable moments during his team\u2019s demolition of the Lakers, who sent double-teams at Gilgeous-Alexander and other ball-handlers at a rate they hadn\u2019t seen since the Thunder\u2019s playoff series with Denver a year ago.<\/p>\n

In perhaps the most dismaying aspect of this series for the Thunder\u2019s future opponents, they\u2019ve learned and improved from the Lakers\u2019 meager successes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really had us having to sharpen our attacks, but I thought we did a great job of that,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cDown the stretch, we had some big-time plays (with) high-lows, traps, and we had a dunk for Chet. That was a great attack, and I just thought we showed great execution of that. So I think we\u2019re a lot better in that area than we were coming into the series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Person airlifted after alleged shooting, crash at Newton gas station with infant in vehicle<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/NBA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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