There is no shame in losing in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, but still there is little consolation, either, for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Young. Talented. Athletic. They have the elements to be champions. They know that. Losing the NBA Finals 4-1 to Miami did not hurt any less knowing they have a promising future.
‘We made it to the finals, which was cool for us, but we didn’t want to just make it there,” said Kevin Durant, who shed tears after the 121-106 defeat in Game 5 Thursday night. ”Unfortunately we lost, so it’s tough. It’s tough, man. That’s the only way I can explain it. But as a whole, I’m proud of the guys on how we fought all season.”
Many times, there is a process to get to the championship, a process that includes disappointment along the way. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were knocked off twice by the Detroit Pistons before they broke through. Most recently, the Heat had to overcome losing to the Dallas Mavericks last year.
”When you play against the best, you learn,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
Added point guard Russell Westbrook: “We know what this feeling feels like. We’ll remember this feeling, and that will push everybody in the summer, just try to keep everybody going and keep everybody’s heads up.”
Brooks already started the mending process, reinforcing the positives.
”You get here because you’re good. You get here because you’re committed to each other,” Brooks said. ”We definitely have room to improve. That’s what the summers are for.”
Durant spent part of this past summer working out with LeBron James in Akron, Ohio. He vowed to work even harder this offseason.
”I’m going to find the positives and the negatives,” Durant said. ”It was tough losing the finals. We got to the finals, had a tough road to get here. But we’ve just got to move past it, I guess, man. It’s going to hurt for a little bit. We’ve got to move past it.”
