Gregg Popovich issues strong take on Thunder after deflating Spurs loss

The OKC Thunder continue to coast through these early stages of the 2024-25 NBA season, as they managed to rattle off their fourth consecutive win Wednesday night in a rather deflating fashion for the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

This start marks just the first time since 2016 where Oklahoma City has kicked off a new campaign 4-0.

Despite the underwhelming performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (18 points on 35 percent shooting from the floor), Mark Daigneault's squad proved capable of picking up the slack for their superstar centerpiece, as they saw several of his cohorts step up in big ways (four scored in double-figures) to mask his offensive inefficiency while, simultaneously, playing standout defense (held San Antonio to 41.2 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers) along the way.

Though the final score of 105-93 may make it seem as if this contest was somewhat within reach for the Spurs, the dominance that radiated from OKC throughout the game made it seem that even something as manageable as a 12-point deficit was too grand to overcome.

With their blemishless record, it's evident that they are performing as advertised upon coming into the year, and even though coach Gregg Popovich may have fallen on the wrong side of their latest matchup, he couldn't help but pay respect to the West's clear "It" team.

Gregg Popovich heaps praise upon Thunder despite crushing Spurs loss

During his postgame interview, the legendary headman kicked off his commentary about the contest by saying the Thunder are "a very good team altogether" who could "very possibly go very deep into the playoffs and maybe do even better than that."

A five-time NBA Champion as head coach, Poppovich certainly knows a thing or two about title-contending teams, which makes his comments on Oklahoma City's potential for a long and prosperous postseason run all the more meaningful and, frankly, exciting.

He eventually would go as far as to say "I love their team," crediting Oklahoma City's coaching staff, consistency, and overall discipline as a collective for their high-end level of play.

These strong remarks come just days after the Thunder were branded by another celebrated basketball coach, Sam Mitchell as "the most cohesive group I have ever seen."

Considering their enviable collection of talent that ranges from stars (both budding and super) to promising young prospects, there should be no wonder that OKC is being talked about in such high regard, nor should it be a surprise that they are one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the association through the first week and a half of play.