Spoelstra reveals his admiration for the Thunder's "problems." Learn why their young roster's success and championship aspirations are the envy of the league.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's five game win streak was snapped due to the 3 point heroics of longtime OKC nemesis Andrew Wiggins on Saturday night.
But before that 122-120 defeat at the hands of Erik Spoelstra's squad, the longest tenured head coach in the four major American pro sports leagues was asked about the Thunder's previous stretch. No, not the five straight victories headed into Miami. Instead, the surprising 6-6 portion of the OKC schedule that opened eyes across the the NBA world and made many observers wonder if the champs were vulnerable. Did that period unearth some potential problems?
"We would all love to have those problems. The biggest compliment you can give them, and the thing that just stuns me, is how they can sustain that kind of success and have that kind of success with a young roster. Usually there's some kind of agenda with young players, and that's fine. You want a bunch of young guys, ambitious guys, but usually it ends up being about points or your average, or touches, not defending, not doing the little things. they do all of it, as young players. They have the perfect complement of veteran players, but the majority of the roster is young," Spoelstra said in his pregame presser. "Mark has just done a great job of building a culture of winning, of doing the right things, being about the right things. Then the consistency. You have it all across the board. You have to have it in the front office, you have to have it with the coaching staff, you have to have it with the players. And they definitely have that. They put the bar up here, and we're all chasing that. And that's what motivates us every single day."
That's a heap of praise from one of the most qualified people in all of basketball to speak on a team's talent and character. Spoelstra is a two time NBA champion as a head coach and was named one of the Top 15 Coaches in NBA History when the league celebrated their 75th Anniversary Team.
It's a good reminder of where the Thunder are in the "problems" pecking order. After all, this team was the second youngest ever to win an NBA championship last year, they boast the league MVP, their Big 3 are 27, 24 and 23 years old and are signed to stay in OKC until 2031, they have an embarrassment of depth and talent across the roster, a Coach of the Year winner, an Executive of the Year winner and a treasure trove of draft picks.
And despite that loss to Miami, that recent rough stretch and dealing with assortment of injuries. the Thunder still have the best record in the NBA. Envious problems, indeed.