The rout was on in the second half, and there seemed to be a party in the stands inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder had flipped a 13-point deficit into a 16-point victory over the Detroit Pistons behind a 55-32 scoring edge in the second half on Friday night.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s team met for practice on Saturday morning and their focus seemed more like a team who had just lost by double-digits. Players were locked in on their mental preparation during the session, then afterwards working hard all over the floor.
Even guys like Kyle Singler, Mitch McGary, Steve Novak, Cameron Payne and Josh Huestis who haven’t seen many minutes in recent games were getting after it in a spirited 3-on-3 session with former Thunder player and current assistant coach Royal Ivey.
The attitude, professionalism and even-keeled nature on display by the Thunder is one of the reasons it continues to get better here early in the season.
“The biggest thing I think is us continuing to grow, develop and get better – and I think that’s happening,” Donovan said. “It’s the consistency part of getting to that place. You’re never going to be perfect, but it’s understanding the value of every possession.”
“We’re getting better game by game,” guard Dion Waiters echoed. “It’s a long process. We have to trust the process. We just have to keep at it and not get too comfortable and come in here every day and get better.”
Not taking anything for granted has been a staple of the culture the Thunder has built over the seven-plus seasons that the organization has been in Oklahoma City. That’s why regardless of the result that ends up on the scoreboard, the Thunder wants to maintain a mental and emotional edge to its approach.
That mindset was certainly on display on Friday night, with a second-half defensive showing that was perhaps the best of the young season. Detroit managed to shoot just 24 percent from the field thanks to fabulous rim protection and gritty, tenacious man-to-man coverage by the Thunder’s perimeter stoppers.
“It was intensity. We got stops. We were out there talking and communicating,” Waiters explained. “If a guy got beat, our back side was there. The bigs did a tremendous job protecting the rim for us in the second half and we just made it tough on them. They felt us. We tried to be aggressive and we buckled down.”
Despite the 60-plus screens that Thunder guards have to get through each night and the physical toll that takes, guards like Waiters, Westbrook, Roberson and others bring the same defensive hunger each time. Like a linebacker busting through or evading a block, if Thunder guards can blow up the play and get back in front of their man, it forces opponents to move on to second and third options within their offenses.
As that sixth defender, the shot clock, winds down, the Thunder can then use its length and quickness to force tough, contested shots. The physical rigor of staying in front of their assignment on each play is taxing, but at the end of the night, it’s all worth it.
“Its basketball, the best sport in the world,” Waiters said with a grin. “I’m happy with the results. As long as we’re winning and playing like this, it doesn’t matter to me.”