Denver Nuggets held a group therapy session on Thursday after their 43-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the second-round playoff series.
You can’t just say, ‘Hey, let’s have a mental day. Let’s move on. We’re fine, we split.’ That’s not the case. If we want to win game three, things have to be different.
David Adelman, Interim Coach
Adelman emphasized the need to change the team’s mindset, highlighting the importance of aggressiveness in the NBA playoffs.
In the NBA playoffs, many times the whistle and the way the game is played is who hits first. And I thought they hit first, second and third. And tomorrow we have to be the aggressor, and I hope we are.
David Adelman, interim coach
The video analysis, although uncomfortable, proved productive. Adelman revealed that the players expressed their feelings about the game and that this will allow them to improve in the next match.
A lot of people spoke up and said, ‘I can do better,’ which I love. And then there’s the video that never lies, that kind of thing.
David Adelman, interim coach
The general feeling was shame, but also determination to improve.
The series moves to Denver on Friday night, the Nuggets’ sixth game since April 29, while the top-seeded Thunder came into this semifinal series with nine days of rest after sweeping Memphis in the first round.
Denver survived a grueling seven-game series with the Los Angeles Clippers and, 48 hours later, beat Oklahoma City in the first game thanks to a three-pointer by Aaron Gordon that culminated a frantic comeback in the final minutes.
Everything caught up with them on Wednesday night, when they fell behind in the first few minutes of the second game and watched the Thunder run away without any real resistance.
I don’t want to say we weren’t ready to play. I think we weren’t ready to play at that level. And when they came out the way they did, I thought it took us a long time to understand what kind of game it was.
David Adelman, interim coach
Adelman highlighted that the mindset is key for the next match. He recalled the good performance in the first match and the need to maintain that same intensity.
It comes down to the mentality of how we play tomorrow. And we had a great mentality in the first game. People can say, ‘Oh, you were also behind in the first game.’ But I never felt like we let go of the rope. And yesterday I felt like we let go of the rope and I felt like they also played at an extremely high level.
David Adelman, interim coach
Adelman acknowledged that fatigue was a factor in Denver’s performance.
Fatigue is a word that can be used when you lose in the playoffs and that is a factor, but fatigue is part of what the postseason is. And finding that next level, your second wind, your third wind, collectively finding energy from each other, is how these games are won.
David Adelman, Interim Coach
Despite the possible disadvantages, Adelman is confident that the players will find the necessary energy to compete in the next match.
