This season is a coming-of-age story for the Thunder, the youngest team to finish atop their conference in 40 years. Weighted by playing time, they also became the youngest team to win a playoff series, sweeping the Pelicans. They erased another Oklahoma team from the shelves, that of 2011 with young Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden.
In 2011, OKC lost in the conference finals against… the Mavericks, their next opponent. And Jason Kidd, current coach of the Mavs, was the leader of Dallas at the time. Obviously, the coach did not fail to make the comparison between the team he faced and this year's.
“This OKC group was young in 2011. They were good too. And they were well trained with Scottie Brooks,” remembers Jason Kidd on the Mavericks website. “Again, there are some similarities when you look at them. It was also a great team. »
Jason Kidd distrusts youth
As in 2011, the offensive threat can come from several places on the pitch. And this has not escaped Jason Kidd, who knows that his team will have to do a lot of defensive work to stop the Thunder.
“ They have a group of guards and wingers who can really score. We have to do a good job defending when they have the ball in hand,” he analyzes. “They are one of the best teams at exploiting space and getting to the rim, so we have to protect the rim and the paint. »
The Thunder are certainly young, but they indeed have the arguments to beat the Mavs. And Jason Kidd doesn't intend to underestimate them. “They are young on paper, but they have the coach of the year. Mark (Daigneault) is doing an incredible job with this group. When you look at Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), he could easily win the MVP trophy. Chet Holmgren is also young, but they are a team that plays hard and they are very strong at home. It's not a question of age, but a question of execution. Hopefully we'll do it outside. »
