Everybody has hit the big red panic button. After back-to-back bad blowout losses to contenders like the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, a rare two-game losing streak has cast doubt on the Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff aspirations.
Even if the Thunder had zero at stake with the first seed already clinched, poor defensive performances — particularly from the outside — have folks wondering just how advantageous the double-big lineup can be.
After just their second two-game losing streak, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains calm. He has to be. The MVP candidate sets the tone for the rest of the team. If he panics, everybody else panics. It's one thing for fans to do it, it's another when the actual team does.
"We're fine. We've gotten this far because we've stayed leveled and we see the bigger picture. We understand that it's never going to be sunshine and rainbows and that's just how the game goes, how life goes," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "No matter what, it's ups and downs. We ended a game and been ecstatic and ended a game and haven't been too pleased with ourselves but regardless, we're going have to wake up tomorrow and do the same thing."
These last two games have been such a culture shock to the hard-nosed, John-Cena-esque 'Never Give Up' brand of basketball the Thunder have played, you can't put too much value into it. React to it, sure. It's disturbing to see two teams who they could face in the playoffs run them out of the gym so close to the postseason, but let's remember what they looked like in their first 76 games of the season.
"Naturally, it's going to slip in. The challenge for every team is different. The challenge for us is to make sure we stay focused and continue to play with that sense of urgency and we haven't the last two nights. We've gotten our butts whooped because of it," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Every team has their challenges at some point. That's our challenge. The Lakers are fighting for their spot. That's their challenge."
The Thunder have admirably fought off content. Even after they clinched the first seed before anybody else in the West even clinched a playoff spot, they continued to be a winning machine and rode an 11-game win streak that briefly flirted with 70 wins.
Don't let just their second two-game losing streak of the season fool you — all these two losses proved was that it wasn't going to be a cakewalk to an NBA championship. And everybody should've known that already if they followed the league long enough.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Despite losing streak, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says Thunder are fine
