Gallinari Already On to Game Two

Danilo Gallinari post, tweet giving Thunder fans hope and setting the tone for Oklahoma City's young roster.

A short memory. That's what any competitor needs to survive in professional sports, especially when you're just beginning a playoff series. 

Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari is setting the tone by hitting up social media early Wednesday morning. Gallinari posted a tweet saying "The series is still long, already focused on game 2 #ThunderUp #NbaBubble

The series is still long, already focused on game 2 💪🏻 #ThunderUp #NbaBubble pic.twitter.com/GJTNpxVLpg

— DANILO GALLINARI (@gallinari8888) August 19, 2020

This might seem like a small thing, but with young players such as Darius Bazley, Hamiodou Diallo, Terrance Ferguson, and Lu Dort watching your every move, you need to show not just tell them you aren't dwelling on the past. 

"I think the focus, bubble, or no bubble, is basketball; this is our job."...."And we need to be ready every day for practice and the games."..."I know this is a different situation, but whatever we have to do to be ready for the game, we need to do it."

Gallinari was one of the few bright spots for Oklahoma City, scoring 29 points in 33 minutes while going 9/17 from the field. The focus for game two will be how to penetrate Houston's zone. 

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Both Billy Donovan and Gallinari say the Thunder will have to play faster to keep the Rockets from getting set up on defense. Chris Paul is confident his team will have an answer.

"We gonna figure it out; it's a different team."..."You play a certain way the whole season; then, you have a team that switches everything."..."It's game one; we gotta figure it out."

It's not time to panic. However, there needs to be a sense of urgency in the Thunder camp; game two is just a little over 24 hours away. 

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.