As the Thunder and the Cavaliers were respectively on 15 and 10 victories in a row, there was inevitably going to be a big disappointment at the end of this meeting. It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates who saw their streak come to an end. The end of such a sequence, a record for the franchise in addition, always brings a feeling of disappointment, but it should not make us forget the success of the last few weeks.
“We were not going to win every match until the end of the season”, tempers “SGA”. “We weren't going to be perfect the rest of the season and tonight wasn't our night. »
The Thunder actually have no reason to panic. Since November 20, 2024, Mark Daigneault's troops have only lost three matches: against Houston on December 1, December 17 against the Bucks (which did not count for the regular season), and Wednesday evening therefore.
Only two defeats since December 2…
But isn't that a sign of having given in in the two biggest matches of their first part of the season, that is to say the NBA Cup final against Milwaukee then this enormous shock of the conferences against the Riders?
” No. We only lost twice in a month and a half”recalls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “It’s a shame to lose important meetings but we remain human, we can’t be perfect. Losing twice in a month and a half, I'll take it. It doesn't matter which matches are in question. »
So don't panic for the best team in the Western Conference (six victories ahead of the second, Houston) and even lessons to be learned from these two important defeats, which were very close, in the atmosphere, the expectations and the opponent in question, playoff matches.
“This is not to downplay the other matches, but these important matches are excellent. They allow us to learn about our own team, about what works with certain formations, what doesn't work, what we need to improve., Judge Mark Daigneault. “As for external pressure, I said it during the NBA Cup, you have to go through that if you want to become a very good team. We must free ourselves from it and respond presently. »
