Story & Photos
By Michael Kinney
When the Oklahoma City Thunder left town last week, they were riding the wave of a blowout victory in Game 2 over the Denver Nuggets. It looked like the top team in the league had returned to their normal selves and were ready to run through the rest of the playoffs.
However, that quickly diminished with a loss in Game 3 in Denver then restored again with a victory Sunday in Game 4.
Ahead of Game 5, which was scheduled for May 13 back in Oklahoma City, reserve guard Aaron Wiggins took time to talk about the series, his role on the team and the importance of momentum in the NBA playoffs.
Question: What did Sunday feel like for you all, being able to come through and get that big punch that you landed in the beginning of the fourth quarter and make the plays down the stretch?
Wiggins: It felt good. Just a really good response to the run they made, I think, in that third quarter. And then closing that game out was just good for us. Obviously, a couple other games where we had a lead and we didn’t close them the way we did last night. Just did a good job sticking true to the way we’ve been all season, and being able to close that game out was good for us.
Question: What did you guys learn from Game 3, just in handling clutch time in those sort of situations?
Wiggins: Obviously, everybody knows how important every possession is, but there were a couple small things that we just had to continue to tighten up on, especially on the defensive end. We’ve got to be better with a couple small things, but these are learning processes for us. Game 3 was big for us, especially going into overtime, offensively not being able to score, kind of drifting away from our defensive identity, so kind of tapping back into that and being who we are helped us in Game 4.
Question: A lot’s been made of that the Thunder has obviously led the league in point differential and played in the least amount of close games. Is there anything that you noticed differently about playing in these type of close games in the playoffs?
Wiggins: I wouldn’t say there’s anything different other than being in those situations, but with the core and the group that we have, we’ve seen those situations before in prior games and years leading up to today. It’s not anything that we’re completely unfamiliar with. We just had a good season where we didn’t necessarily have to face those situations often, but we’ve got guys who are built for it, guys who understand what it takes to pull out wins in those situations, so we’ve just got to make sure we trust each other and stick to who we’ve been.
Question: What does momentum feel like for those of us who’ve never played in the NBA postseason?
Wiggins: There’s just ultimate energy and confidence that just flows within, I think, just naturally within the team, and even outside of the team. I think fans can kind of feel momentum, obviously, in spurts of moments on runs and games, but as players, it’s just a confidence and a comfortability being in the present time and playing in the situation that you’re in. The fan base has all the kind of power in the world in terms of making an opposing team feel a certain way and then, obviously, making a home team feel a certain way, and that’s why home court advantage is home court advantage, so the fans make a big difference.
Game 5 is set for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Paycom Center.
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