OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder are back in the NBA Finals for the first time in more than a decade, but they must wait a while longer before tipping off the last leg of their quest for the franchise’s first league title since 1979.
Oklahoma City players will have more than a week of rest between their most recent game and the opener to the best-of-seven championship series.
How the Thunder, who defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the Western Conference title series that wrapped up Wednesday night, handle that stretch could set the tone for their matchup with either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks that starts next Thursday, June 5, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault expects his young players to handle the situation just like they’ve handled everything else that’s been thrown at them this season.
“They’re highly professional, consistently professional,” he said after Wednesday’s 124-94 clinching victory on the Thunder’s home court. “They’re high-character people. They come from high-character circles. They’re unbelievably competitive. They put the work in behind it consistently through the ups and downs. And most of all, they are team first.”