What can OKC Thunder learn from last season's breakout NBA team? There's 'a common goal'
Domantas Sabonis placed his hands on his hips in exhaustion as Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" played on the speakers at Paycom Center.
The final buzzer also went off, cementing OKC's 112-105 home win over Sacramento on Tuesday. But both sounds got drowned out by the deafening cheers of the Thunder's fans, who watched as their team celebrated on the floor.
OKC (55-25 after beating the Spurs on Wednesday night) has gotten familiar with the sweet sensation of victory this season. That feeling is also familiar for the Kings, who were in the Thunder's shoes last year.
Sacramento was the breakout team of the NBA. It skyrocketed to the third seed in the West. It made its first playoff appearance since 2006. It celebrated its home wins by lighting a purple beam that could rival the Bat Signal.
Sacramento ultimately suffered a 4-3 series loss in the first round to Golden State. Still, the lessons it learned from its first playoff experience as a team could be useful information for OKC as it prepares to make its first postseason appearance since 2020.
"(We learned) just how much detail you have to pay attention to in the playoffs," Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox said. "You're going to play a team four-to-seven times, and you pretty much know exactly what each other does. There are pretty much no surprises in a series."
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Parallels between Thunder, Kings
OKC has earned some well-deserved recognition for its breakouts season.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been in MVP conversations for most of the campaign, and Mark Daigneault is the frontrunner to win Coach of the Year.
Individual accolades can sometimes be a distraction for a team, which is something Sacramento also had to navigate last season.
Fox won the Clutch Player of the Year award last season, and Mike Brown took home Coach of the Year for helping a team go from 30-52 the previous season to 48-34.
"We all have a common goal," Fox said. "We all want to win. At the end of the day, that's what everybody in this locker room wants. That's all that anybody cares about. Obviously, when you're on a good team, accolades do come."
OKC came out on top Tuesday despite trailing by as much as 20 points.
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Meet NBA's rally kings, the OKC Thunder
The Thunder leads the NBA in comeback wins this season when trailing by double-digit points (17). It has surpassed last season's Sacramento team, which finished with 15.
"They're relentless," Brown said of OKC. "They've got guys who can score inside and outside. You're very seldom going to shut them out for a whole game. ... It doesn't matter if they're down or up. They're always going to have a chance just because of the scoring that they have and the way that they defend."
People often point to youth as one of the few weaknesses for OKC. It entered the campaign as the least experienced team with an average of 2.22 seasons played.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort are also the only two starters who've played in the postseason. They have a combined 19 playoff appearances under their belts.
Still, Brown isn't overlooking OKC because of its lack of experience. After watching his team catch lighting in a bottle last season, he knows the Thunder is just as dangerous.
"They've got a talented, talented roster," Brown said. "Mark (Daigneault) does a really good job with them. They all believe. They're all confident."
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What can OKC Thunder learn from last season's breakout NBA team?
