OKC Thunder Gaining Valuable Playoff Experience in Hardfought Series Against Dallas
![May 11, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) May 11, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2698,h_1517,x_0,y_92/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_thunder/01hxsb1dqq2cb3p4yx3b.jpg)
After three games, the Oklahoma City Thunder trail the Dallas Mavericks 2-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Starting off the postseason on a 5-0 run, OKC looked like it may be able to cruise into the Western Conference Finals until the Mavericks won two consecutive games to completely swing the momentum of the series.
Now, the Thunder face a must-win Game 4 on the road as Mark Daigneault and company look to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.
For such a young team, this marks their first real taste of adversity, as Oklahoma City became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history then swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. After beating Dallas by 22 points in Game 1, OKC seemed confident and poised, but now have their backs against the wall after faltering in consecutive performances.
Game 4 will not only show the mental toughness of a very young group battling a roster full of experienced veterans, but will also serve as valuable playoff experience for a team that has the potential to be in the same position many times in the coming years.
"We all have to understand that we have another gear," Daigneault said after Game 3. "We've got to access that here so that we throw out best punch in these games. We're disappointed that we lost, but again, I think that we have an opportunity to be a better team in Game 4."
Heading into the postseason, many observers didn't have confidence in the Thunder making a deep run through the playoffs due to their youth and inexperience. At times in Game 3 against the Mavericks, the team's lack of playoff experience was evident as OKC made multiple uncharacteristic errors.
Playing in such a tough series, however, will only help Daigneault and company moving forward. Dealing with the emotions, the magnitude of the moment, the high-stakes environment and the elite players that come with a second-round playoff series, takes maturity and experience.
Being such a young team, none of Oklahoma City's main rotation players have been a major part of playoff series yet, meaning the Thunder have very little experience handling the aforementioned circumstances.
For Dallas, players like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been through the postseason multiple times and have enough experience to be unphased by the moment. To get to that point, however, each player took tough losses that allowed them to see the differences between playoff basketball and the regular season.
Even if OKC is unable to defeat the Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals this season, Daigneault's team will have gained valuable experience that will help prepare the team for its next playoff appearance.
"We have very mature people in our locker room," rookie center Chet Holmgren said on Saturday. "Very steady, and again we're all kind of bought into this whole process thing. Understanding that it's ups and downs, flows to everything. You know, we're not going to change what we've been doing all year, trusting each other, trusting the process, trusting the coaches. We're going to continue to do that to the best of our abilities."
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