Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder had flashbacks to Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals during the first game of the 2025 NBA Finals as Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning shot in a matchup the Thunder had controlled for most of the game.
“The playoffs take you to the limit and they put your back against the wall in games, in series, if you make it this far you have to endure to do that and it gives you rich experiences that you can draw on,” the Thunder coach told reporters after the 111-110 loss at home. “The biggest experience we’ve had is understanding that every game is a new game. The most important game of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome.”
In the Western Conference Semifinals in May, the Denver Nuggets came from behind to win 121-119 on an Aaron Gordon game-winner. The Thunder went on to win that series 4-3 before beating the Timberwolves 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Daigneault said his team will learn from the tough loss to the Pacers as they head to Game 2 facing a 1-0 deficit in the series.
“Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They’ve had so many games like that, that have seemed improbable and they just play with a great spirit. They keep coming, they made plays, they made shots,” Daigneault said. “So they deserved to win, by a point. We’ve got to learn from it. There’s obviously a lot we can clean up. But credit them, they went and got that game.”
Mark Daigneault Said While They Would Have Liked to Win, Game 1 Was a ‘Starting Point’
Daigneault told reporters, “We would have liked to win tonight, but tonight was a starting point not an endpoint. There’s a lot of things we can improve on, there’s a lot of things I’m sure Indiana thinks they can improve on and now the series starts to evolve. … Need to be a better team in Game 2.”
The Thunder held a 57-45 lead at the half and were outscored 35-25 in the fourth quarter as the Pacers rallied to win. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, while Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 38 points.
“There’s a lot more games left in the series, so we understand that,” Daigneault said. “We’ve got to get ourselves to 0, as we always do. That’s a habit that hopefully we’ve formed. These guys have made a habit of being able to get ourselves centered and play our best game in the next game, so you’ve got to tip your hat to them, they got us tonight, they played really well, they deserved to win, but we’ve got to learn from it, we’ve got to improve like we would if we won the game. That’s really what it comes down to.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Told Reporters ‘The Series Isn’t First to 1, It’s First to 4’
William Purnell/Getty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in the Thunder’s stunning loss to the Pacers.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2025 NBA MVP, told reporters after the stunning loss, “We’ve just got to focus on being better. The series isn’t first to one, it’s first to four. So we have four more games to get and they have three, and that’s just where we are. We’ve got to understand that and we’ve got to get to four before they get to three if we want to win an NBA Championship. And it’s that simple.”
He added, “It’s not rocket science. We lost Game 1, we have to be better. … There are definitely areas to get better on both ends of the floor. That’s what the next two days are for, try to get better and try to come out here and be a better team for Game 2.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, June 8 in Oklahoma City, with the tip-off set for 8 p.m. on ABC.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault Has Strong Message After Game 1 Loss appeared first on Heavy Sports.