OKC Thunder Still Looking to 'Earn It' After First Round Sweep of New Orleans

After sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2016.

After undergoing a two-year rebuilding process, OKC earned a spot in the Play-In Tournament last season before developing into one of the best teams in the NBA in 2023. After winning 40 games last year, Mark Daigneault helped lead the Thunder to 57 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season, the youngest team in history to do so.

Despite a great showing in the regular season, many NBA observers didn't think Oklahoma City had much of a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs this year, due to the team's youth. Some national media analysts, like Kendrick Perkins and Bill Simmons, even suggested that the Pelicans would give OKC trouble in the first round of the postseason.

In the first round, however, the Thunder's youth showed no signs of slowing the team down, as Daigneault's squad held CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and the rest of New Orleans' roster to 92 or fewer points in all four games.

After a masterful first round performance, however, Oklahoma City's head coach knows that the team still has much more to prove.

"There’s no place we’d rather be than still competing in the playoffs right now," Daigneault said after practice on Monday. "We want to continue to earn our way to continue to play just like everybody else, but you have to earn it and that’s our challenge right now. That’s what we’re focused on.”

To earn a trip back to the Western Conference Finals, OKC will have to take down the Dallas Mavericks in what should be a back-and-forth battle between two solid teams. After taking down the Los Angeles Clippers in six games, Luka Doncic and company are an inevitable obstacle in the Thunder's path to the next round of the playoffs.

While the Pelicans' defense was solid against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company, taking down Dallas in a series would earn the Thunder respect from media members and fans who were skeptical of the team coming into the postseason. The Mavericks roster has a good mix of young players, role players with postseason experience and two stars in the backcourt, which could make things difficult for Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Semifinals.

"Everything about it is uncomfortable. You’re playing against a high-level opponent with high stakes," Daigneault said. "There’s nothing comfortable about it but it’s the pinnacle of competition. I mean, this is what everybody wants to be a part of and so there’s a discomfort to it but that’s what makes it such a valuable experience. That makes it such an enjoyable experience."

After defeating New Orleans, Dallas will be a new test for a young Thunder team that still has to "earn" its place in the next round. If Daigneault and company are able to pull off a series victory over Jason Kidd's squad, OKC will have proven that despite its youth, the team is able to compete on the biggest stage.