OKC Thunder Players Amped to Play in Front of Home Fans in Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder are just days away from returning to the playoffs in the Paycom Center and the players are amped to play in front of the home crowd in the postseason.

May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder fan cheers against the Golden State / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference Finals making them the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history.

Their Playoff quest will begin on Sunday in the Paycom Center against an opponent to be determined on Friday at the NBA Play-In Tournament. This will be the first time playing in front of the fanbase in the postseason for the guys on this roster and judging by Wednesday's practice, they are excited.

Jalen Williams discussed the advantage of playing in front of the home crowd fans "It's a really cool bond that I'm kinda growing with the fanbase. Something I want to keep going through and creating. It's fun interacting with them. It's super loud all the time."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing his first playoff game in front of the Paycom Center faithful after being confided to the bubble his second season, "I didn't realize I never played a playoff game in front of the crowd. Now I'm a little more excited to find that out... The energy in that arena feels amazing in Game 13 of the season so I can only imagine when it's a playoff game."

Gilgeous-Alexander on the home playoff crowd for Sunday, "It's gonna be super fun. They were great when we won 20 games in a season. They were great when we had 57 wins in a season... They're always behind us, always rallying. I've never been booed here so they've been great."

The Oklahoma City Thunder fanbase is affectionately known as Loud City, and they are set to make their return on Sunday with anticipation at an all-time high.

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