That’s something the Oklahoma City Thunder are aiming for. With an NBA championship banner already hanging from the rafters, they hope to have the same success in the 2020s that the Warriors had in the 2010s: multiple Larry O’Brien trophies and an all-time, era-defining guard.
Advertisement
Even if both fan bases have come to hate each other over the years to toxic levels, that hasn’t extended to the court. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about his admiration for the Warriors and their ability to play competitive basketball for more than a decade with virtually the same cast of characters.
The Thunder will host the Warriors in primetime on Saturday night. It could be a preview of a Round 1 series, as Golden State has remained in the postseason despite Curry’s nagging knee injuries and Jimmy Butler III’s season-ending ACL tear.
An example of this is the Warriors’ recent overtime victory over the Houston Rockets. Playing on the road with a thin rotation full of two-way players, Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green pulled off an upset over NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.
With a wide smile on his face, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the upset victory had a playoff feel. He also cheekily reminded people of Golden State’s success over the years in Houston. They had some of the best playoff series in the NBA throughout the 2010s.
Advertisement
“I think there’s something about guys that expect to win the game they play. That’s what I would say about Green and Horford,” Daigneault said. “Horford was obviously here. I know that very well with him and Green from a distance. When those guys line up and tie them up, they expect to win and they’re disappointed when they don’t. That’s kind of contagious.”
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. If any NBA franchise can sympathize with what the Thunder have been through this season, it’s the Warriors. They had a decade-long streak where the rest of the league became jealous of their success. OKC hopes to carry Golden State’s torch as the new version of that dominant team.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why Mark Daigneault Has the Utmost Respect for Warriors Continuity