OKLAHOMA CITY — For five painstaking minutes, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander technically close but logistically far away on the Thunder bench, each possession became a test of faith.
Faith in head coach Mark Daigneault to map out a survival plan without their source of sustenance, especially with Victor Wembanyama roaming the floor at the other end. Faith in the trusted five on the floor, each with their own reason for motivation to succeed. Faith in a passionate fanbase known for its volume — both literally and figuratively — to support the second quarter stint. Faith in everything that mattered to a franchise desperate to retain leverage in a pivotal Game 5.
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So as San Antonio’s coaching staff rushed to the court 90 seconds in, stunned by a lightning-quick 7-0 run accentuated by Alex Caruso’s 3-point celebration for a shot that didn’t even belong to him, it was evident that the faith had been restored and rewarded.
“I thought we were first to the fight tonight,” Daigneault said following the Thunder’s 127-114 win. “On both ends. And we weren’t the other night. That’s why that game went the way it did and why tonight went the way it did. Obviously there’s always some variance — they missed some good looks. But looking internally at us, I just loved the way we approached the game on both ends of the floor. We attacked the game and were rewarded for that.”
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The audacity to entrust a group that had played a whopping two minutes together during the regular season and three in the playoffs to keep things afloat was bold in itself, but their individualism stuck out as well. And in a playoff campaign marked by mileage, the Thunder’s belief — and expectation — to maintain equilibrium even with Gilgeous-Alexander has kept them thus far. That lineup, as raw as it was, still had a job to do. Chet Holmgren, having strung together a number of subpar performances, needed an evening filled with confidence, snarl and fight. Jared McCain, who had gone from being discarded at the end of his tenure in Philadelphia to finding a home in Oklahoma City, had an opportunity to justify Daigneault’s lineup change halfway through a series. Cason Wallace, who had been demoted, still needed to maintain the level of professionalism Daigneault had raved about and impact the game at both ends. And Caruso, the veteran mainstay and emotional compass, had to step into his leadership role to an even higher degree.
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The results spoke for themselves; Caruso, with 22 points and four 3s made, led the team in scoring and chipped in 6 assists and 3 steals; Holmgren looked more like himself with an efficient 16 points and 11 rebounds; McCain’s 20 points required 19 shots but his aggression kept the machine running smoothly; Wallace recorded 2 steals, 2 blocks, 5 assists and finished with a game-best +29.
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“We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this year,” Daigneault said. “Which puts us in positions where we’re just trying to use the guys that are available and find the right combinations to be a 48-minute team. You can frontload a lineup that’s really good but it may put you in a tough position when it’s time to get out that lineup with substitutions. The guys do a great job of playing together and to their strengths, regardless of who’s on the court. That group, to your point, played huge minutes for us on both ends of the floor.”
The longer this matchup has dragged on — and it certainly looks like it has the legs to go seven games — the less it has become about Gilgeous-Alexander versus Wembanyama, ethical (or non-ethical) hoops and more about everyone else. The former finished with a game-high 32 points but missed 12 of his 19 shots, turned the ball over six times and needed 17 free throws to get there. The latter struggled to create any real offensive impact, ending with 20 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Both teams combined for 32 turnovers, 51 fouls and struggled at the rim.
(It’s also important to note that while the pairing of Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren played at a net neutral in about 15 minutes of game time, the tandem did well to control the offensive glass. The Thunder’s 46.7 offensive rebounding rate with those two on the floor played a significant part in converting 14 second chances into 26 points. In addition, San Antonio made just 51.7 percent of shots at the rim, which ranks in just the seventh percentile of postseason performances this season.)
But it was the Thunder’s strength in numbers, once again, that saved the day. Wallace and Caruso provided the length, irritation and defensive IQ to swarm Wembanyama and make things difficult at the point of attack. The trickle-down effects of Oklahoma City’s aggression, starting with those two, negatively affected the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, ailing guards that rely on their speed and change-of-pace movements. At the other end, the reserves did enough offensively, spacing the floor effectively and sharing the ball at nearly an identical rate than their starters (12 assists to 14 from the starters).
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Since Daigneault stepped foot in Oklahoma City, this team has always been the sum of its parts. Gilgeous-Alexander commands the lion’s share of headlines — and rightfully so — but the Thunder don’t get this far, within one game of a return to the Finals, without the contributions of the crew. San Antonio has been a worthy opponent on basketball’s biggest stage, which beckons a competitive, emotional Game 6, but this team’s North Star has never wavered. No matter which five Daigneault throws out on the floor.
“The team was huge tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Like I always say, we’re a team out there. We don’t get this far, I don’t have this individual success, the team doesn’t have success without all 15 guys in the locker room and we proved it tonight. If it was five me’s out there, we would have been down 20 after the first quarter. But those guys held it down.”
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