OKC Thunder: 3 keys to sweep series versus Bulls
The OKC Thunder embark on a four-game road trip that starts in Chicago facing a familiar face in former head coach Billy Donovan.
The Bulls and Thunder have an equal number of victories this season but their goals for this campaign are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Thunder are desirous of growing and developing their youth with sights set on a top draft pick. Conversely, the Bulls’ goal was to gain a postseason berth and make a deep run.
The teams met once in a game that counted toward the win-loss column in Oklahoma City. However, this is the fourth time they’ll face each other because the clubs played twice in the preseason.
TI dives into three keys for the Thunder to sweep the season series versus Bulls.
OKC Thunder key No.1: Culture club
Odds are if a poll occurred today, front office executives would rank the OKC Thunder and VP, Sam Presti in the top three for most admired franchise templates. The existing elite might not rank OKC first but the Wolves, Kings, Pelicans, Magic, Wizards, any repeat lottery teams, would probably place the Thunder atop that list.
Perhaps that’s why every time a front office or coaching position opens Thunder employees are often on the shortlist. The Bulls have a strong history of success, although arguably a certain superstar had a bigger impact than the front office.
Culture is best reflected by sustained success something only a handful of teams have accomplished as rosters shift or turnover. In the past few decades, the Spurs and Heat offered the best template to emulate. However, OKC has quickly ascended to join that group.
This season is arguably the best reflection of how deeply engrained the Thunder culture is. A perfect microcosm of this was the victory versus the Grizzlies. With four starters (technically five counting Theo Maledon) out and playing the second match of a back-to-back set, it should’ve been the equivalent of raising a white flag.
In spite of the disparity in experience and talent the Thunder youngsters looked like the rested team. Most impressively, this group scored 128 points, one point less than their season-best effort achieved by the A team starters versus Brooklyn.
Although the losses will continue and minor tweaks can be made to aid with that cause, Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti have to admire how literal these players took their ‘resiliency era’ mantra.