NBA Finals Preview: Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talks Pacers

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and players answered numerous questions ahead of Game one of the NBA Finals on Media Day on Wednesday.

Thunder Enter as Heavy Favorites

Oklahoma City swept both regular-season matchups against Indiana and enters the Finals as a strong favorite to win its first title since the franchise relocated to OKC. According to ESPN, OKC is the second-largest Finals favorite in the last 20 years, trailing only the 2018 Golden State Warriors.

Pacers Embrace Underdog Role

Indiana is leaning into its underdog status. Head coach Rick Carlisle has experience in this spot, having led the 2011 Mavericks to a championship upset over the favored Miami Heat.

Two of the League’s Best Since New Year’s

Since January 1st, no teams have been better than the Thunder and Pacers—the two best records in the NBA over that span. OKC is back in the Finals for the first time since 2012, while Indiana returns for the first time in 25 years.

Elite Matchup: Turnovers vs. Control

Expect a chess match. OKC has forced 18 turnovers per game in the postseason, while Indiana ranks among the best at protecting the ball, averaging fewer than 13 turnovers a game.

Speaking on how to take down the Pacers and bring a title to OKC, here are some questions and answers from Daigneault.

Q. Rick Carlisle has had a pretty solid two and a half decade run as a coach in this league. What has stood out to you about him in terms of his longevity, ability to adapt to different teams, personnel and eras?

MARK DAIGNEAULT: I mean, I can't say enough about him and the respect I have for him. I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. Almost consistently across every year he's ever coached, the team is better than their sum. I think that's a reflection of him. His teams play a clear identity, stay in character through all the ups and downs. That identity has changed over the years based on his teams, the league trends. But his teams are always in character. This year is certainly no exception.

His players play with a lot of confidence. His best players play with a lot of confidence. Role players play with a lot of confidence. They all seem to operate on the high end of their capacity when they're playing with him.

He's got unbelievable endurance in the league. What I'd also say is, like, he's kind of out in front of some trends in the NBA right now. To be somebody that has the experiences that he has, that's very impressive that he's been able to evolve and be a trendsetter even as he's been one of the longest-tenured people in the NBA.

Q. Obviously turnovers have been a huge storyline for your defense all year. Also, you've forced teams into shooting low percentages throughout the season. As you go up against a team that's shot it extremely well, what are some of the key fundamentals defensively that you all are going to need to lean into to kind of combat that battle?

MARK DAIGNEAULT: I mean, they're a tall task. The fundamentals are not complicated. It's not like we're out here emphasizing new things. We're not inventing anything this week.

Their attack is very simple. The theoretical way to stop it is simple. In reality it's very difficult to do, as you can see from the way that they've really had their way with everybody.

It's one thing to understand what they're doing, it's one thing to understand what you need to do. It's quite another to execute it. That's what makes them really hard to play against. They pump a 99-miles-an-hour fastball at you. You can prepare all you want for that. When you're in the batter’s box, it's different when it's time to hit it. It's going to be a very tall challenge.

Q. Want to ask you about Pascal Siakam and what he lends to Indiana as far as a half-court option. Do you feel you're well suited to counter that?

MARK DAIGNEAULT: Easier said than done, just like I talked about their team.

Great versatility on both ends of the floor. Offensively he can play in the pick-and-roll game as a handler, setter. He's an isolation player that can go get them a high-quality shot, he can get fouled, he can post smaller matchups. He's kind of a matchup problem, quite frankly on that end.

Defensively he's one of their best help defenders. He's always eating space like all the help defenders. Got great length. He can play outside, inside. He's about as rangy and versatile a player as you can get at that position.

Somebody we have high respect for and obviously a huge part of the series.