By weighting in relation to playing time, the Thunder by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is therefore the youngest team to win a playoff series. With an average of 23 years and 343 days, the Oklahoma City squad thus erased from the shelves another OKC team, that of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, which had won the first round of the 2011 playoffs, facing to the Nuggets, at an average age of 24 years and 149 days!
Already the youngest team to finish in first place in its conference in 40 years, the young guns of the Thunder reiterated that their age and their inexperience were not as handicapping as advertised.
“We’re too young, right? » Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had fun before challenging the Pelicans. “We heard that all year. That's not going to change. We are still young. We will probably be there for another four or five years. We don't worry about that. We care about what happens within these four walls.”
A week ago, Mark Daigneault assured that age in itself did not mean much.
“Age is just a number, and there is a difference between youth and maturity”
“Age is just a number, and there is a difference between youth and maturity”explained the Coach of the Year. “If you're 23 and you're mature, that's a good thing. You know, if you're 33 and you're mature, that's a good thing. If you're 23 and immature, this won't help you. If you’re 53 and immature, you don’t have much time left to figure it out.”
After the sweep inflicted on New Orleans, the coach reiterated that it was this nuance that was important.
“There is a difference between age and maturity” he continued. “We have a mature, focused team. Most of the time, depending on the age of the team, we can make assumptions about the stage of the players' careers but, and I have said it all season, we have an atypical group, both in terms of human as well as sporty. And I think that's a big reason why we've been able to accomplish all of these things. »
