Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the media on Friday, offering a composed and detailed outlook ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
After a 111-110 loss in Game 1, Daigneault pointed to his team’s maturity in handling setbacks. “There’s no team I’m more confident in being ready to play really in any situation than ours,” he said. “But you also have to go make it happen.”
The Thunder led by as many as 15 points before Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second jumper stole the win for Indiana. Despite the narrow margin, Daigneault made it clear the team isn’t overreacting.
“One-point losses are emotional,” he noted. “We did a lot of things well in the game to build that lead. There’s a lot of things we can improve on. We have a lot of runway here to improve.”
Daigneault stressed that Indiana likely sees similar room for improvement. He also reinforced his players’ mental habits: “We just get ourselves to neutral, understand every game’s different, every game is unwritten.”
Defensively, the Thunder struggled in the second half after an aggressive first half. “We got a little loose on different things,” Daigneault admitted. “But Indiana did a really good job in the back half of the fourth quarter to get that win.”
When asked about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s high-usage night, Daigneault acknowledged the MVP’s aggressive approach but emphasized team execution. “We got to the paint a lot… we did not convert enough on those plays.”
He also stood behind Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams after a quieter Game 1. “They’re in an uncommon position for third-year players,” he said. “They haven’t always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one.”
The coach remained vague on whether he’ll stick with Cason Wallace in the starting lineup over Isaiah Hartenstein, saying flexibility is a team strength. “We’re never staying the same… we’ll continue to try to make every decision we can to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Daigneault closed by praising the character and poise of his young roster. “Even with a young team, these guys have an uncommon mentality. There’s no place we’d rather be than in the Finals.”
Game 2 tips off Sunday night in Oklahoma City as the Thunder aim to even the series before it shifts to Indiana.
